3  182202201  1670 


JNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFOR 


3  182202201  1670 


Social  Sciences  &  Humanities  Library 

University  of  California,  San  Diego 
Please  Note:  This  item  is  subject  to  recall. 

Date  Due 


THE 


TEXAS   DOCTOR 

AND    THE 

AEAB  DONKEY 

OR, 

PALESTINE  AND  EGYPT  AS  VIEWED  BY 
MODERN  EYES 


BY  J.  M.  FORT,  M.  D. 

F»arls,    Texas. 


CHICAGO : 
DONOHUE  &  HENNEBERRY; 

PUBLISHERS. 
1898. 


COPYRIGHTED    l8g2 


TO 

MR.  AND  MRS.  A.  R.  LEVERING  AND  MR.  T.  L.  Ross, 

FRIENDS  AND  TRAVELING  COMPANIONS, 

abis  Boofe 

18  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED  ; 
AND  MAY  IT  EVER  RECALL  THE  SCENES  OF  OUR  COMPANIONSHIP 

AND  THE  REMEMBRANCE  OF  ONE  IN  WHOM 

NEITHER  TIME  NOR  DISTANCE  WILL  EVER  OBLITERATE 

THE  RECOLLECTION  OF  THEIR  KINDNESS. 


INTRODUCTION. 

In  presenting  the  "Texas  Doctor  and  the  Arab  Donkey ; 
or,  Palestine  and  Egypt  Viewed  by  Modern  Eyes,"  to  the 
reading  public,  I  deem  it  unnecessary  to  include  herein  a 
series  of  apologies  for  its  imperfections ;  my  friends  and 
acquaintances  do  not  ask  them,  and  my  enemies  (I  admit 
the  compliment  of  having  a  few)  would  not  accept  them, 
hence  I  make  none. 

I  do  not  claim  the  work  to  be  either  a  learned  or  scientific 
production.  I  do  not  claim  to  be  one  of  Nature's  favorites; 
hence  was  not  endowed  with  the  capacity  and  necessary 
qualifications  for  the  production  of  such  a  work.  I  feel 
assured,  however,  that  the  highly  cultivated,  thoroughly 
informed  reader  will  not  only  find  food  for  thought,  but 
appreciate  and  enjoy  the  freedom  of  expression  and  sim- 
plicity of  style  adopted  by  the'  writer  in  the  description  of 
places,  countries  and  peoples. 

To  the  great  mass  of  our  people,  the  bone  and  sinew  of 
the  country;  the  men  who  speed  the  plow,  shove  the  plane, 
weld  the  heated  iron;  the  mechanic,  the  artisan,  the  mason 
(both  practical  and  theoretical) ;  the  non-sectarian  Christian, 
the  lover  of  the  bible  and  of  truth,  whether  found  in  the 
bible  or  out  of  it ;  the  professional  and  non-professional ; 
the  old,  the  young,  the  white  and  the  colored  ;  I  request 
one  and  all  to  read  the  book  and  judge  of  its  merits  and 
demerits  for  yourselves. 

I  heartily  assure  every  reader  that  he  may  rely  upon  the 
truth  of  the  statements  made,  and  correctness  of  descrip- 
tions given  of  countries  visited,  places  and  people  seen  on 
a  tour  of  seventeen  thousand  miles,  in  Europe,  Asia  and 
Africa,  by  the  writer. 

THE  AUTHOB. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.  PAGE. 

Th«  Start  and  Voyage  —  Azores  Islands  —  Storms  at  Sea  — 

Gibraltar 11 

CHAPTER  II. 
The  Rock  of  Gibraltar— Its  History  and  Wonderful  Fortiflca 

tions 27 

CHAPTER  III. 
The  City  of  Naples  — Mt.  Vesuvius  —  Ruins  of  Pompeii— En 

Route  to  Rome 36 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Ancient  and  Modern  Rome  —  Cathedrals,  Monasteries,  Prisons, 

Etc 63 

CHAPTER  V. 

St.  Paul's  Visit  to  Rome  —  The  Appian  Way  —The  Burning  of 
Rome  —  The  Catacombs  —  Persecution  of  Christians  — 
Catholicism  —  From  Rome  to  Brindisi  —  Island  of  Corfu — 
Patras  —  Corinth  — Athens 89 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Acropolis  —  The  Parthenon  —  Mars  Hill  —  Temple  of  Bac- 
chus—  The  Temple  of  Mystery — En  Route  to  Egypt — 
Mohammedan  Pilgrims  —  Alexandria  —  En  Route  to  Cairo 

—  The  Valley  of  the  Nile  —  Cairo 119 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Donkeys  —  Street  Scenes  in  Cairo — The  Pyramids — Ancient 
Religions  of  Egypt— The  Sphinx — Mastabas 149 

CHAPTER  VIH. 

Site  of  Ancient  Memphis— Colossal  Statue  of  Rameses  II.  —The 
Step  Pyramid  —  The  Necropolis  of  Memphis — The  Sera- 

oeum— The  Tomb  of  Ti 187 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Heliopolis  —  The  Solitary  Obelisk  — The  Tree  of  Joseph  and 
Mary  —  The  Bulak  Museum  —  The  Pharaohs  of  Egypt  — 

Mohammed  and  his  Religion 210 

vii 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X.  PAGE. 

Tenets  of  Mohammedanism  —  Mosques  of  Cairo — Marriage  and 
Burial  Ceremonies  —  The  Land  of  Goshen  —  Ismalia  — 

Suez  Canal  —  Port  Said 240 

CHAPTER  XL 

First  Glimpse  of  Palestine  —  Landing  at  Joppa — The  Valley  of 
Sharon  —  Ramleth  —  The  View  from  the  Tower  —  Kirjath- 

jearim  —  Mizpah  —  Ain  Karim 274 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Jerusalem  —  Destruction  by  Tiftis  —  Bird's-eye  View  of  the  City 

—  Judgment   Hall  of   Pilate  — The   Via   Dolorosa— The 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre— Religious  Sects  in  Jeru- 
salem   302 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Muriston  —  Mt.  Zion  —  The  Tower  of  David  —  Tower  of  Hana- 
neel  —  Church  of  St.  James  —  The  Palace  of  Caiphas  —  The 
Tomb  of  the  Kings  —  The  Caenaculum — The  Wailing 
Place  of  the  Jews  —  Degradation  of  the  Present  Jerusalem 

—  Mt.  Moriah  — The  Mosque  of  Omar , 381 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Environments  of  Jerusalem  —  The  Pool  of  Gihon  —  Valley  of 
the  Sons  of  Hinnom — The  Alcedama  —  Hill  of  Ev'.l  Coun- 
cil —  Tophet  —  Valley  of  Jehoshaphat  —  Siloam  —  Pools  of 
Siloam  — The  Virgin's  Fountain  —  Hill  of  Offense  —  Pyra- 
mid of  St.  James  —  Grotto  of  St.  James  —  The  Tomb  of 

Jehoshaphat  —  Tomb  of  Absalom 353 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Garden  of  Gethsemane  — Tomb  of  the  Virgin  —  Solomon's 
Quarries  —  Modern  Calvary  —  The  Plain  of  Rephriam  — 
Tomb  of  Rachel  — Beit- jala  (Zelzah)  — Bethlehem  — The 
Church  of  the  Nativity  —  The  Milk  Grotto  —  An  Unpleasant 
Incident  —  The  Pools  of  Solomon — Eh  route  to  Jericho  — 

The  Brook  Cherith 368 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Gilgal — The  Dead  Sea  —  Ford  of  Jordan  —  Modern  Jericho  — 
Site  of  Old  Jericho  — Mt.  Pisgah  —  The  Mount  of  Tempta- 
tion—  Bethany  —  Tomb  of  Lazarus  —  Mt.  Olivet — The 

Chapel  of  the  Ascension 395 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  Start  for  Damascus  —  The  Tomb  of  the  Kings — Mt.  Scopus 

—  Gibeah-Benjamin — Beeroth  —  Bethel  —  SinjU 426 


CONTENTS.  IX 

CHAPTER  XVIII.  PAGE. 

Jacob's  Well — Mt.  Ebal  and  Mt.  Gerizim  —  The  Remnant  of  the 
Samaritans  —  Shechem  —  Naboth's  Vineyard  —  Samaria. . .  447 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Dothan  —  The  Pit  of  Joseph— Engannim — Valley  of  Esdraelon 

—  Valley  of  Jezreel  —  Mts.  of  Gilboa— The  Witch  of  Endor 

—  The  Pool  of  Gideon 475 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Mt.  Carmel  —  Contestof  Gods — David's  Weakness — Shunem — 

A  Marriage 502 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Zuleh  — Nain  — Mt.  Tabor— Nazareth  — The  Church  of  the 
Annunciation  —  Joseph's  Workshop — Mary's  Well — Gath- 
hepah — Tomb  of  Jonah — Cana — Karn-Hattin  (Mt.  of 

Beatitudes) 527 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Lake  Galilee  —  Tiberius  —  Magdala — Plain  of  Genesar — Beth- 
saida  —  Capernaum  —  Chorazin  —  Lake  Merom  —  Hazor — 
The  Dedara  —  El  Ghazar  —  Hasbana  —  Ancient  Dan  — 

Csesarea-Philippi  —  Anti-Lebanon  Mountains 551 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
Plains  of  Hauran  — The  Druses— The  Plains  of  Syria— Paul's 

Conversion  —  Damascus 577 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

From  Damascus  to  Baalbec  —  The  Great  Temple  of  the  Sun  — 
The  Dervishes — Valley  of  the  Litany  —  Zahieth — Beyrout 

—Tripoli  — The  Isles  of  the  JEgean  Sea 604 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Patmos  —  Samoa  —  Smyrna  —  Ephesus  —  Chios  —  Miletium  — 
Ancient  Troas — The  Dardanelles  —  The  Hellespont  —  Sea 

of  Marmora 635 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Constantinople  —  The  Sultan  and  the  Imperial  Palaces — The 
Dogs  —  The  Howling  Dervishes  —  The  Bosphoms  —  The 
Black  Sea  —  Bulgaria  —  The  Danube  —  Vienna 655 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
Munich—  Royal  Palace  —  Heidelberg 684 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
Mayence — The  Rhine  —  Cologne  —  Brussels — Waterloo 689 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Opposite 
Page 

Gibraltar 25 

Egyptian  Princess 128 

Water  Mill 143 

Soudan  African 148 

Palestine  Plowman 151 

Water  Carrier 155 

Garments  of  Wealth.     (Isa.  Hi,  1.) 156 

Road  to  the  Pyramids 160 

Fellahin  Village 187 

Rameses  II 194 

Heliopolis.     (City  of  the  Sun.) 212 

Seti  I 222 

Steamer  in  the  Suez  Canal 271 

Dredge  Boat 27* 

Lepers.  (Jerusalem.) 342 

Amran,  high  priest  of  the  Samaritans 459 

Returning  from  the  Field 464 

Mount  Tabor 539 

House  from  which  Paul  was  let  down  in  a  basket.  (Damascus.)  599 

Freight  Bearer 659 

Sultan's  Palace 663 

Dancing  Dervishes 666 

10 


TRAVELS  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND  AND  EUROPE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

HAVING  had  a  cherished  desire  for  many  years  to 
visit  other  lands  and  countries,  especially  the  Holy 
Land,  and  seeing  in  one  of  our  religious  papers,  in  the 
winter  of  1890,  that  a  private  party  was  being  made 
up  by  Elder  H.  M.  Wharton,  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  to 
visit  the  Holy  Land  in  the  following  Spring,  going  via 
Gibralter,  Spain,  Italy,  Greece  and  Egypt,  returning 
via  Asia  Minor,  Turkey,  the  Danube,  Hungary,  Austria, 
Bavaria,  Germany,  the  Rhine,  Belgium,  France,  Eng- 
land and  Scotland ;  the  tour  to  be  managed  and 
conducted  throughout  by  Messrs.  Henry  Gaze  & 
Son,  Tourist  Agents,  London ;  I  determined  to  avail 
myself  of  this  opportunity  of  visiting  these  countries 
and  observing  for  myself  the  customs,  manners 
and  religions  of  these  oriental  people.  This  tour 
included  a  whole  month  in  the  Holy  Land,  visiting 
Joppa,  Jerusalem,  Shiloh,  Bethel,  Shechem,  Mounts 
Ebal  and  Gerizim,  Samaria,  ISTain,  Endor,  Shunim, 
Nazareth,  Mount  Tabor,  Lake  of  Galilee,  Dan,  Caesarea 
Philippi,  Damascus  Baalbec,  Beyrout,  Old  Smyrna 
and  Ephesus. 

For  the  sum  of  nine  hundred  dollars,  prepaid,  Messrs. 
Henry  Gaze  &  Son  obligated  themselves  to  furnish  the 
party  with  traveling  tickets,  a  conductor,  who  was  also 
an  interpreter;  hotel  accommodations,  omnibus  and  car- 
riage drives,  all  fees  for  sight-seeing,  and  every  neces- 

11 


12  TJRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

sary  expense  for  the  return  trip,  including  three  meals 
a  day.  The  tourist  agents  have  established  hotels 
where  there  were  none,  and  have  traveling  arrange- 
ments with  others  where  they  already  existed  to 
accommodate  all  tourists  traveling  on  their  tickets. 
This  obligation  and  agreement  was  faithfully  fulfilled 
in  every  particular  by  these  gentlemen. 

By  agreement,  our  party,  consisting  of  thirty-two 
gentlemen  and  ladies  from  various  parts  of  the  United 
States,  were  to  meet  at  the  Continental  Hotel,  Broad- 
way, New  York,  prior  to  the  25th  day  of  February, 
1891,  that  being  the  day  we  were  to  sail. 

It  was  expected  that  we  would  sail  on  the  Steamship 
Bolivia,  one  of  the  Anchor  Line  steamers.  But  before 
leaving  home  we  were  informed  that  our  steamer  had 
been  changed,  and  instead  of  the  Bolivia  we  would  go 
on  the  Belgravia,  a  larger  and  more  comfortable  vessel 
of  the  same  line  of  steamers. 

Upon  our  arrival  in  New  York  we  learned  that  the 
Belgravia  would  be  delayed  a  few  days  longer  in  tak- 
ing in  her  cargo,  and  that  we  would  not  leave  the  city 
until  the  28th  day  of  February. 

After  adding  my  traveling  expenses  to  and  from 
New  York  to  the  amount  paid  for  my  tickets,  it 
increased  my  actual  traveling  expenses  to  something  near 
eleven  hundred  dollars.  All  money  expended  for  extra 
clothing,  suitable  trunks  and  valises,  kodacs,  field 
glasses,  steamer  chairs,  robes  and  other  conveniences 
essential  to  our  health  and  comfort,  should  be  added  as 
necessary  items  of  expense ;  but  this  was  a  matter  of 
individual  expenditure.  In  addition  to  this  various 
sums  were  expended  in  souvenirs,  pictures,  specimens, 
short  tours  not  included  in  the  programme;  then  bakh- 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  13 

shish  (bak-she)  and  other  incidentals  too  numerous  to 
mention,  which  upon  the  whole  increased  my  outlay  to 
something  near  eighteen  hundred  dollars. 

The  morning  before  we  left  New  York  it  snowed  all 
the  forenoon,  accompanied  by  a  cold  north  wind.  We 
therefore  provided  ourselves  with  heavy  overcoats  and 
other  suitable  winter  apparel,  knowing  that  it  would 
be  much  colder  out  upon  the  Atlantic  than  upon  the 
land.  I  will  say  in  justice  to  Messrs.  Henry  Gaze  &  Son 
that  they  paid  our  hotel  bill  for  the  three  days  delay  in 
starting.  The  time,  however,  was  profitably  employed 
by  the  members  of  our  party  in  making  all  the  needful 
preparations  for  our  long  journey. 

At  11  o'clock  A.  M.,  February  28,  1891,  we  went 
aboard  our  steamer  lying  at  the  wharf  in  Brooklyn, 
hunted  up  our  berths,  adjusted  our  baggage  in  the 
small  rooms  allowed  us  and  awaited  the  departure  of 
the  steamer. 

I  found  my  berth  to  be  a  shelf  some  two  feet  wide 
put  up  against  the  outer  wall  of  the  vessel  six  feet 
above  the  floor,  with  a  side  board  ten  inches  wide 
making  a  regular  trough.  Down  on  the  bottom  of 
this  trough  lay  a  thin  mattress,  two  sheets  and  a 
coverlid.  I  called  for  the  steward  and  asked  him  if  he 
thought  as  large  a  man  as  I  was  could  sleep  with  any 
degree  of  comfort  on  such  a  bed  as  that ;  that  I  would 
have  to  get  up  to  turn  over. 

The  steward  asked  me  if  I  had  ever  traveled  any 
great  deal  on  shipboard. 

I  answered  that  I  had  not ;  then  said  he :  "  You 
occupy  that  bed  for  a  few  nights,  and  then  if  you  wish 
it  changed  I  will  arrange  it  to  suit  you." 

Regarding  this  as  a  fair  proposition,  I  accepted  it. 


14  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

After  getting  out  on  the  Atlantic  I  soon  learned  that 
had  I  had  any  other  kind  of  a  bed  I  would  have  been 
rolled  out  on  the  floor  of  my  stateroom  at  all  hours  of 
the  night,  and,  instead  of  sleeping,  would  have  been 
picking  myself  up  and  putting  myself  to  bed  all  night. 
So  I  concluded  as  long  as  my  bed  would  hold  on  to  me 
I  would  hold  on  to  it. 

I  had  never  met  any  of  the  party  with  whom  I  was 
to  travel  before  reaching  New  York,  and  the  first 
formality  gone  through  with  after  going  aboard  was 
the  exchange  of  introductions.  There  were  in  all 
sixty-five  passengers  on  the  vessel  bound  for  different 
localities  in  .the  Old  World.  Many  of  their  friends 
came  aboard  the  steamer,  and  when  the  moment  of 
starting  arrived  and  the  word  passed  round  for  all 
but  passengers  to  go  ashore,  the  handshaking  and  the 
tearful  good-bye  and  "  God  bless  you  "  caused  a  feel- 
ing of  loneliness,  not  to  say  sadness,  to  come  over  me. 

I  realized  that  I  was  a  stranger  and  among  strangers. 
I  realized  that  I  was  starting  upon  a  long  and  perilous 
tour,  and  I  secretly,  earnestly  and  devoutly  lifted  my 
heart  to  God  in  prayer,  committing  myself,  my  family 
aud  my  friends  into  His  keeping,  praying  His  blessing 
upon  us  all,  and  if  I  should  never  be  permitted  to  see 
my  native  and  beloved  land  and  the  dear  ones  I  was 
leaving  behind  again  upon  earth,  to  give  us  a  happy 
reunion  in  the  heavenly  Canaan  above. 

We  soon  steamed  past  the  Statue  of  Liberty,  which 
stands  at  the  head  of  New  York  harbor  to  bid  "  wel- 
come" to  the  down-trodden  and  oppressed  of  other 
lands,  who  come  to  our  own  happy  free  country  to 
seek  homes  among  us. 

About  twenty  miles  down  the  bay  we  cast  anchor 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  15 

and  there  remained  until  about  five  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, when  a  steam  tug  came  to  us  bringing  the  purser 
and  surgeon  on  board.  Leaving  the  place  of  our 
anchorage,  we  soon  passed  Sandy  Hook  and  entered 
the  broad  Atlantic.  Soon  after  passing  Sand}7  Hook 
the  dinner  bell  sounded  and  we  all  repaired  to  the 
dining  saloon  with  the  expectation  of  enjoying  a  good 
square  meal,  the  first  we  were  to  partake  of,  floating 
upon  the  bosom  of  the  Atlantic  ocean.  And  here  I 
leave  them  long  enough  to  say:  Think  of  it  as  you 
naa}r,  in  my  opinion  it  requires  no  little  firmness,  no 
little  fixedness  of  purpose  and  determination  to  tear 
oneself  from  home,  family  and  friends,  to  encounter 
the  perils  of  the  sea  and  the  dangers  of  travel  by  land, 
even  to  realize  long-cherished  hopes  and  to  enjoy  the 
fulfillment  of  desires  long  felt. 

Our  steamer,  even  before  our  meal  was  over,  began 
to  roll  and  toss  about,  now  and  .then  making  a  sudden 
lurch  as  some  larger  than  ordinary  wave  would  come 
rolling  into  land  from  mid-ocean,  striking  against  her 
iron  sides. 

This  rolling,  tumbling,  surging,  waltzing  motion  of 
the  steamer  soon  took  away  our  appetites  and  dis- 
quieted our  stomachs  within  us.  The  passengers  began 
leaving  the  table  by  ones,  twos  and  threes,  and  so 
on,  till  few  were  left  to  partake  of  the  after-meal 
coffee. 

In  discussing  the  subject  of  seasickness,  I  had 
expressed  the  opinion  that  in  many  instances  its  inva- 
sion might  be  resisted,  and  even  after  its  attack  the 
severity  of  its  symptoms  might  be  mitigated  by  the 
exercise  of  will  power ;  that  is,  if  one  would  determine 
not  to  give  way  to  the  disease,  that  they  could  either 


16  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

avoid  an  attack  altogether,  or,  if  it  came  on  in  spite  of 
their  efforts,  it  would  be  much  milder  by  keeping  up, 
going  on  deck  in  the  cool  air  and  taking  active  exercise 
by  walking  the  deck,  etc. 

I  found  by  exp^irence  that  this,  like  many  other 
things  we  doctors  theorize  about,  was  a  very  pretty 
theory,  but  it  wouldn't  hold  good  in  practice;  for 
while  I  was  making  a  very  brave  effort  and  bringing 
all  the  willpwoer  to  bear  that  I  could  muster,  I  felt  my 
stomach  suddenly  turn  over ;  the  great  fountain  of  its 
deeps  gave  an  upheaval,  and  running  to  the  railing  of 
the,boat,  I  joined  the  other  passengers,  to  the  number 
of  about  fifty,  in  feeding  the  fish  by  throwing  up  the 
dinner  so  recently  eaten.  Some  of  the  elder  members 
of  the  party  thought  they  threw  up  things  they  had 
eaten  before  the  late  war.  Be  that  as  it  may,  I  am 
sure  they  went  to  their  bunks  with  empty  stomachs, 
there  to  be  rocked  to  sleep  in  the  cradle  of  the  ocean. 

Seasickness  is  a  disease  brought  about  through  an 
impression  made-  upon  the  nervous  system  by  the 
swinging,  rocking,  oscillating  motion  of  the  steamer  or 
sailing  vessel.  It  has  no  premonitory  symptoms,  being 
ushered  in  suddenly  with  vomiting ;  a  cool,  clammy  con- 
dition of  the  skin;  pale,  haggard  expression  of  counte- 
nance, followed  by  drowsiness  or  a  degree  of  stupor; 
general  depressed  condition  of  the  system;  chilliness, 
accompanied  with  a  dull  pain  in  the  back  of  the  head, 
with  a  loathing  of  food  or  drinks  of  any  kind.  These 
symptoms  may  last  with  greater  or  less  severity  for 
one  day  or  for  ten  or  even  fifteen  days.  Some  of  our 
passengers  were  confined  to  their  state-rooms  for  a 
week,  others  for  a  longer  time ;  a  few  continued  more 
or  less  unwell  until  we  reached  Gibralter. 


AND  THE    HOLY   LAND. 

It  will  be  remembered  we  left  New  York  on  Satur- 
day, just  before  noon.  Sunday  morning  was  bright 
and  fair,  with  a  brisk,  cold  northeast  wind,  making  it 
unpleasant  to  be  on  deck.  But  few  of  the  passengers, 
therefore,  were  able  to  remain  on  deck  long  at  a  time, 
on  account  of  the  cold  breeze,  which  increased  the 
chilliness  produced  by  seasickness,  adding  to  their  dis- 
comforture. 

It  is  said  that  Dr.  Henry  Ward  Beecher  went  over 
to  London  on  one  occasion,  and  suffered  severely  from 
seasickness  during  the  voyage.  After  reaching 
London  he  went  to  hear  the  noted  Dr.  Parker  preach. 
After  the  sermon  the  Doctor  in  his  closing  prayer 
quoted  from  Rev..  21:1.  "And  I  saw  a  new  heaven  and 
a  new  earth  and  the  first  heaven  and  the  first  earth  were 
passed  away.  And  there  was  no  more  sea."  To  which 
Mr.  Beecher,  remembering  how  he  suffered  with  sea- 
sickness, heartily  responded:  "  Amen,  thank  the  Lord 
for  that."  So  say  I.  I  suffered  for  five  days  with 
this  ocean  disease,  during  which  time  I  felt  depressed 
in  mind  and  body. 

Monday,  March  2d.-Wind  higher  and  sea  rougher 
than  on  yesterday.  Tuesday  and  Wednesday,  a  gale, 
sea  running  high,  wind  from  the  northeast,  waves 
thirty  and  forty  feet  high,  have  been  breaking  on  the 
bow  of  the  steamer  and  washing  the  deck  for  the  last 
twenty -four  hours.  As  the  steamer  would  rise  over  a 
wave  the  propeller  blades  would  be  thrown  entirely 
out  of  the  water,  jerking  and  jarring  the  vessel  at  a 
dreadful  rate.  Tuesday  night,  very  tempestuous,  many 
of  our  passengers  were  thrown  from  their  berths; 
trunks  and  satchels  were  chasing  each  other  over  the 
state-rooms  all  night.  Some  of  the  ladies  were  badly 


18  TEAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

frightened,  and  amid  their  cries  expressed  regrets  at 
ever  leaving  their  homes.  Wednesday  noon,  four 
days  out  from  New  York,  and  have  traveled  only  six 
hundred  miles.  Strong  head-winds,  nearly  everybody 
seasick.  I  can  now  comprehend  and  appreciate  the 
poetic  expression,  "  The  voice  of  many  waters." 
Before  leaving  home  I  had  thought  I  would  like  to  see 
a  sharp  wind  at  sea_  I  wanted  to  see  "  old  ocean" 
roused  from  a  calm  quiet  to  a  thing  of  life.  I  wanted 
to  see  the  lion  shake  his  mane  and  roar,  but  not  too 
loudly,  mind  you ;  but  now  I  am  satisfied.  I  never 
want  to  be  out  in  another  storm  at  sea.  The  exhibi- 
tion of  God's  power  is  grand  and  majestic.  You  are 
made*  to  feel  your  own  insignificance,  your  littleness 
and  your  dependence  as  never  before.  Unlike  the  sea 
gulls,  we  can  not  desert  the  ship  and  fly  to  safer  shelter 
under  the  crags  of  the  rock-bound  coast.  We  must 
live  or  die,  sink  or  swim  with  our  good  steamer,  but, 
"  God  is  over  all."  Such  were  my  feelings  and  such 
the  record  made  in  my  notebook  on  Friday  evening, 
seven  days  out  from  New  York. 

Thursday. — Thursday  night  and  Friday  having  been 
pleasant,  nice  weather,  I  flattered  myself  that  we  were 
done  with  storms  and  tempests,  and  hoped  we  would 
have  calm  seas  and  fair  sailing  during  the  remainder 
of  our  outward-bound  voyage  at  least.  But  how 
little  we  know  in  this  world  oi  ours  what  a  day  may 
brine:  forth.  Could  we  look  into  the  -future  as  we  can 

O 

over  the  past,  what  miserable  creatures  we  would  be. 
Header,  would  you  lift  that  veil  if  you  could?  I  think 
I  hear  you  make  the  same  response  that  I  made  myself: 
"No!  no!  God  has  wisely  and  mercifully  hid  these 
things  from  us.  Let  the  veil  remain  as  He  placed  it. 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  19 

He  knows  what  is  best  for  us  and  '  doeth  all  things 
well.'" 

Saturday  noon. — One  week  from  New  York,  dis- 
tance traveled  fourteen  hundred  miles.  Have  eighteen 
hundred  yet  to  travel  before  reaching  Gibralter.  The 
day  has  been  beautiful,  with  a  calm  sea. 

Sunday  evening,  March  8th.-This  has  been  a  rainy, 
disagreeable  day.  Had  to  remain  in  the  saloon  the 
greater  part  of  the  day.  Had  religious  services  at 
11  o'clock  in  the  dining-room.  Most  of  our  passengers 
were  well  enough  to  be  present.  As  night  came  on, 
however,  the  wind  rose«and  we  had  to  contend  with  a 
high  head  wind  against  us  all  night,  which  by  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning  had  increased  to  a  gale.  The 
ocean  seemed  to  be  angry  \vith  itself  and  everything 
else  that  morning.  It  was  lashing,  foaming  and  froth- 
ing to  a  dreadful  extent.  The  waves  were  rolling 
high  and  the  white  caps  breaking  in  all  directions, 
looking  like  patches  of  snowflakes  sprinkled  on  the 
tops  of  the  monster  waves.  What  a  sublime  sight ! 
Look  over  this  wild  waste  of  waters !  So  far  as  eye  can 
see,  or  vision  reach,  one  sees  a  vast,  boundless,  shoreless, 
angry  ocean.  Wave  chasing  wave,  rolling,  tumbling, 
tossing  everywhere.  It  is  a  wild,  reckless,  angry 
storm-tossed  sea ;  sublime,  yet  terrific. 

Our  little  steamer  seemed  but  a  speck  floating  on 
the  bosom  of  that  immensity  of  waters.  It  made  me 
think  of  good  old  Noah  shut  in  the  ark.  "  God  shut 
the  door."  Drifting  over  an  inundated  world,  this 
mighty  sphere  hung  trembling  like  a  "  single  drop  of 
dew,  a  globe  of  water  in  mid-heaven."  Upborne  by  the 
swell  of  heaving  waters,  Noah  doubtless  felt  his  frail 
vessel  tremble  and  quiver  in  every  joint,  but  that  man 


20  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

of  God  trembled  not.  Amid  the  surging  of  those 
mighty  waters,  "  The  light  of  faith  shone  round  his 
aged  form,  and  his  prayerful  lips  spoke  a  repose  as 
tranquil  as  childhood's  on  the  bosom  of  maternal  love." 
Were  we  alarmed  ?  No  !  Like  David  we  felt  that, 
"  The  Lord  on  high  was  mightier  than  the  noise  of  many 
waters,  yea  than  the  mighty  waves  of  the  sea."  Not  an 
expression  of  alarm  or  apprehension  escaped  the  lips  of 
a  single  individual  of  our  party  during  the  prevalence 
of  this  our  second  storm,  which,  setting  in  Monday 
morning,  the  9th  of  March,  continued  with  unabated 
severity  until  Wednesday  morning.  Seeing  how  well 
our  steamer  was  handled  and  how  gallantly  she  rode 
out  the  first  storm,  gave  us  a  confidence  which  served 
us  to  good  purpose  in  all  our  after  squalls. 

On  Tuesday  I  find  the  following  record  in  my 
memorandum  made  at  noon  that  day  :  For  the  last 
thirty-six  hours  we  have  traveled  only  about  forty 
miles.  To-day  the  steamer  has  been  rocking  from  side 
to  side  so  that  we  could  neither  sit,  stand,  or  lie  down 
without  holding  on  to  some  part  of  the  vessel.  It  was 
impossible  to  keep  the  tableware  on  the  table  long 
enough  to  eat  with  any  degree  of  satisfaction.  So  I 
find  that  eating  one's  meals  is  a  difficult  undertaking 
during  a  storm  at  sea. 

Thursday  evening,  the  12th,  we  reached  the  Azores 
islands.  The  storm  had  about  passed  over  and  as  we 
neared  this  cluster  of  seven  islands  the  sun  shone  out 
and  gave  us  a  picturesque  scene.  From  one  of  the 
islands,  Pico,  a  mountain  rose  grandly  and  proudly 
seemingly  from  out  of  the  depths  of  the  sea  four 
thousand  feet  high,  having  its  top  beautifully  tipped 
with  snow  glistening  in  the  rays  of  the  evening  sun. 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  21 

About  midway  up  the  mountain  side  floated  a  belt  of 
light  blue  cloud,  adding  beauty  to  the  whole,  making  it 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  picturesque  scenes  I  saw 
on  my  whole  tour.  The  Azores  islands  belong  to  Por- 
tugal and  are  inhabited  by  Portugese.  Our  distin- 
guished citizen,  better  known  as  Mark  Twain?  says: 
''They  are  a  swarthy,  noisy,  lying,  shoulder-shrugging, 
gesticulating  set  with  brass  rjngs  in  their  ears  and 
fraud  in  their  hearts." 

The  largest  of  these  islands  is  the  St.  Michael.  .  Col- 
lectively they  have  a  population  of  a  hundred  and 
fifty  or  two  hundred  thousand.  I  must  leave  my 
readers  to  hunt  some  history  of  these  south  Atlantic 
islands;  that  is,  if  they  desire  to  know  more  about 
them,  as  our  steamer  passed  between  them  without 
making  a  halt.  "When  we  passed  these  islands  some  of 
our  company,  and  the  writer  among  the  number,  had  sad 
hearts.  When  we  sailed  from  New  York  it  was 
expected,  and  our  itinerary  so  stated,  that  we  would 
reach  Gibraltar  in  ten  or  twelve  days.  This  was  our 
twelfth  day  out  from  New  York,  and  some  of  our  families 
and  friends  would  expect  to  receive  telegrams  from  us 
at  this  time,  and  we  were  yet  twelve  hundred  miles  from 
Gibraltar.  We  knew  also  that  it  had  been  published  in 
our  daily  papers  that  there  had  been  violent  storms  on 
the  Atlantic.  Possessed  of  this  intelligence,  and  not 
hearing  from  any  of  our  party,  or  from  the  steamer, 
rendered  the  suspense,  anxiety  and  fearful  foreboding 
painful  in  the  extreme.  But  we  were  powerless  to 
relieve  their  minds,  being  far  out  on  the  ocean,  cut  off 
from  all  communication  with  the  world  for  the  time 
being.  We  could  only  regret  our  delay  and  sympa- 


22  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

thize  with  them  in  their  distress  and  anxiety  for  our 
welfare. 

A-fter  passing  these  islands  we  had  a  comparatively 
calm  sea,  pleasant  weather,  and,  upon  the  whole,  a  nice 
voyage  until  the  evening  of  the  fifth  day  after  leaving 
the  Azores.  On  the  morning  of  the  seventeenth  from 
New  York  we  were  told  that  we  would  reach  Gibraltar 
and  cast  anchor  in  the  bay  some  time  before  midnight. 
This  made  all  happy,  for  we  were  getting  tired  of  being 
pent  up  on  the  steamer  and,  more  than  all,  it  would 
place  us  in  telegraphic  communication  with  our  anxious 
families  and  friends  at  home. 

The  sun  rose  bright  and  clear  on  this  morning  of  the 
17th  of  March,  and  our  hearts  were  as  bright  and  warm 
as  the  genial  rays  of  the  sun.  Some  of  our  birds,  the 
sea-gulls,  had  come  out  from  the  rocky  shore  of  Spain 
to  bid  us  welcome  and  to  accompany  our  faithful  vessel 
into  the  safe  harbor  of  Gibraltar  bay.  Little  did  we 
dream  that  before  midnight,  instead  of  resting  quietly 
at  anchor  opposite  the  great  rock  of  Gibraltar,  in  full 
view  of  the  pretty  little  city  of  the  same  name  perched 
on  the  west  side  of  the  rock,  we  should  be  battling 
with  the  wind  and  waves  of  another  and  far  more 
terrific  storm  than  any  through  which  we  had  passed. 
But  such  was  to  be  our  fate. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  noticed  a  dark, 
angry  looking  cloud  hanging  over  the  continent  of 
Africa,  seemingly  typical  of  that  intellectual  and  moral 
darkness  which  has  for  so  many  long  centuries  myste- 
riously hung  over  that  benighted  land.  This  and 
others  extending  more  to  the  west  rapidly  gathered, 
and  by  five  o'clock  there  burst  upon  us  a  tornado  more 
severe  and  violent  than  any  we  had  before  encountered. 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  23 

As  night  approached  black,  angry  looking  clouds  spread 
over  the  heavens,  intensifying  the  darkness  and  gloorn? 
and  increasing  to  a  painful  degree  our  feeling  of  utter 
helplessness.  The  rain  came  pouring  from  the  clouds 
till  it  was  like  one  vast  unbroken  sheet  of  water  driven 
by  the  wind  that  every  moment  seemed  to  grow 
faster  and  fiercer.  And  as  it  swept  across  the  broad 
expanse  of  waters  the  huge  waves  came  rolling  on  and 
on,  one  moment  raising  our  trembling  vessel  on  their 
summit  and  the  next  plunging  it  down  into  the 
trough  between  them  as  though  it  were  going  to  the 
bottom  of  the  ocean.  Imagine  if  you  can  our  disap- 
pointment. Then  add  to  this  the  terrors  of  the  tor- 
nado in  the  midst  of  a  darkness  broken  only  by  the 
lightning  flash,  and  you  may  be  able  to  understand  the 
feelings  that  filled  our  hearts  on  that  fearful  night 
when  the  ocean  roared  like  the  voice  of  God  upon  the 
waters.  There  may  be  and  there  is  "music  in  the  mur- 
murs of  the  sea,"  but  there  is  also  terror  and  dismay  in 
the  roar  of  the  mad  rushing  waves  when  driven  by  a 
merciless  storm. 

About  midnight,  when  the  storm  was  at  its  height, 
when  darkness  even  to  blackness  enveloped  our  steamer, 
the  sparkling  rays  of  the  starlike  lights  from  the  light- 
houses situated  on  both  sides  of  the  straits  of  Gibraltar 
could  be  dimly  seen. 

The  captain  of  our  vessel,  with  a  prudence  and  fore- 
sight born  of  fifteen  years  experience  as  a  naval  com- 
mander resolved  not  to  attempt  to  carry  the  steamer 
into  the  bay  under  such  unfavorable  conditions.  He 
therefore  turned  out  to  sea,  steaming  away  from  the 
rocky  coast,  seeking  deep  water  and  keeping  the  bow 


24  TRAVELS  IN  EGYPT 

of  the  steamer  well  against  wind  and  waves,  until  the 
storm  had  spent  its  fury,  which  it  did  before  daylight. 

Early  next  morning  as  the  sun  was  sending  its  bright, 
new-born  rays  over  the  sparkling  waters,  we  neared  the 
straits  of  Gibraltar.  On  the  highland  of  Spain  to  the 
left  of  the  straits  perched  upon  a  high  hill,  the  most 
southern  point  of  Spain  and  Europe,  may  be  seen  the 
old  Spanish  castle  "JTafir.a,"  which  from  a  distance 
seems  to  be  in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  On  the 
African  shore,  which  is  lower  at  this  point  than  the 
Spanish  coast,  may  be  seen  an  old  Moorish  castle.  On 
the  ramparts  of  these  in  the  days  long  gone  by  the 
barbary  pirates  kept  watch  of  ships  that  would  attempt 
to  pass  the  straits,  requiring  all  such  whether  ingoing 
or  outcoming  to  lower  their  flags  and  pay  tribute; 
constituting  themselves  the  "  lords  of  this  whole  watery 
realm."  We  wonder  if  it  is  generally  known  "that 
the  very  word  tariff  is  derived  from  this  piratical  rob- 
bery, and  further,  that  it  originated  among  the  free- 
booters who  plied  their  nefarious  trade  along  these 
coasts."  Whether  it  is  generally  known  or  not,  history 
establishes  the  fact. 

At  the  entrance  of  the  straits  these  two  points  of 
land  are  nine  miles  apart.  But  on  a  bright,  clear  day, 
such  a  day  as  usually  follows  a  storm  at  night,  and  such  a 
morning  as  that  on  which  we  passed  between  them,  they 
appear  much  nearer  than  they  really  are.  There  is  a 
perceptible  current  continually  running  from  the 
Atlantic  into  the  Mediterranean  sea  through  the 
straits.  I  mean  by  continual  that  it  is  not  produced 
by  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  tides  of  the  Atlantic,  as 
might  be  supposed.  The  Mediterranean  Sea  has  no 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  25 

tide,  yet  this  current  flows  steadily  and  evenly  on  in  the 
interim  as  well  as  during  the  flow  of  the  tides. 

As  our  vessel  steamed  down  the  bay  we  saw  a  huge 
rock  each  moment  growing  larger  and  larger,  as  we 
drew  nearer  to  it,  rising  higher  and  higher  out  of  the 
water  like  some  huge  animal  lifting  itself  up,  yet  half 
reclining  in  its  watery  bed. 

"  This  mighty  rock  before  us  is  Gibraltar.  This  is  a 
unique  rock, — unique  in  position,  in  picturesqueness 
and  in  history." 

As  we  came  opposite  the  little  city  of  Gibraltar, 
which  is  built  on  the  western  slope  of  the  great  rock, 
we  cast  anchor  near  the  place  where  the  ill-fated 
steamer,  the  Utopia,  went  down  with  nine  hundred 
Italian  emigrants  the  night  before.  This  vessel  had 
come  into  the  bay  during  the  prevalence  of  the  storm, 
and  in  attempting  to  make  a  landing  was  driven  by 
the'waves  upon  the  ram  of  an  English  man-of-war  and 
sank  in  three  minutes,  drowning  over  six  hundred  peo- 
ple. Was  not  this  enough  to  cause  our  hearts  to  swell 
with  gratitude  to  our  God  for  his  preserving  care  over 
us  amid  all  the  storms  through  which  we  had  passed 
on  this  tempestous  voyage? 

This  rock  averages  three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  width 
and  is  three  miles  long  and  fourteen  hundred  feet  in 
height  and  located  some  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  from 
the  outlet  of  the  straits  or  coast  line.  The  peninsula 
connecting  it  with  the  main  land  of  Spain  is  a  low  level 
strip  of  ground  about  one  mile  in  length,  i.  e.  east  and 
west,  and  some  one  and  a  half  in  width.  This  is  termed 
the  neutral  strip.  Soldiers  are  kept  constantly  prom- 
enading on  each  side  of  this  strip  of  land.  The 


26  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

English  soldiers  guard  it  on  the  Gibraltar  side,  while  the 
soldiers  of  Spain  guard  the  opposite  side.  Even  a  lady 
is  not  allowed  to  step  across  the  line  to  pluck  a  flower, 
so  thoroughly  determined  are  these  nationalities  that 
this  strip  of  land  shall  be  held  strictly  neutral. 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND. 


CHAPTEK  II. 

IBRALT  AR  was  fought  over  by  the  Spaniards  and 
"  Moors  for  nearly  eight  hundred  years.  During  this 
period  of  time  it  changed  hands  or  ownership  no  less 
than  ten  times.  It  was  the  first  ground  over  which  the 
Moors  entered  Europe,  and  the  last  over  which  they 
passed  when  driven  from  the  continent. 

"  In  the  "War  of  the  Succession,  as  it  is  called,  when 
nearly  half  of  Europe  was  engaged  in  war  to  place  one 
of  two  contestants  on  the  Spanish  throne,  England  sent 
a  squadron  into  the  Mediterranean  under  Sir  George 
Rooke,  who,  after  cruising  about  for  a  time  and  accom- 
plishing but  little,  determined,  rather  than  return 
and  report  the  cruise  a  failure,  to  take  Gibraltar.  Spain 
had  but  one  hundred  and  fifty  soldiers  in  the  garrison 
at  the  time,  although  it  had  one  hundred  guns  and  was 
well  fortified.  The  garrison  surrendered  after  a  three 
days'  bombardment,  and  Spain  lost  in  those  three  days 
what  she  has  never  been  able  to  regain. 

"  When  Gibraltar  was  taken  by  the  English  fleet  it 
was  not  taken  for  England,  but  in  the  name  of  the  Arch 
Duke  of  Austria,  whom  England  supported  as  a  pre- 
tender to  the  Spanish  throne.  Had  he  succeeded  in 
gaining  it,  Gibraltar  would  have  been  turned  over 
to  him;  but  as  he  was  finally  defeated,  England  retained 
possession  of  it  and  holds  it  to  this  day. 

"The  Spaniards  realized  before  a  year  had  passed 
what  a  loss  they  had  sustained,  and  made  an  effort  with 
a  large  army  and  fleet  to  regain  it.  They  besieged  the 

27 


28  -TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

historic  rock,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  siege  five 
hundred  daring  Spaniards  made  an  effort  to  climb  the 
almost  perpendicular  wall  on  the  east  side  of  the  rock 
in  the  darkness  of  night,  being  piloted  by  a  shepherd 
boy.  Part  of  them  succeeded  in  reaching  the  top  and 
concealed  themselves  until  daylight,  when  they  made 
an  attack  upon  the  signal  station,  killing  the  guard. 
They  then  brought  up  the  rest  of  the  party  by  means 
of  ropes,  ladders,  etc.,  and  made  an  attack  by  storming 
the  wall  of  Charles  Y  (so-called  because  constructed 
by  him).  By  this  time,  however,  the  garrison  was 
aroused,  and  an  English  officer  who  was  present  thus 
describes  the  sharp  but  deadly  strife  which  followed. 
He  says :  '  Five  hundred  Spaniards  attacked  the  middle 
hill,  but  were  soon  repulsed,  and  two  hundred  men  with 
their  commanding  officer  taken.  The  rest  were  killed 
by  our  shot,  or  in  making  their  escape  broke  their  necks 
over  the  rocks  and  precipices,  which  in  that  place  are 
many  and  prodigiously  high.' 

"  Although  this  daring  attempt  to  capture  Gibraltar 
signally  failed,  the  siege  was  kept  up  for  six  months, 
with  a  loss  of  ten  thousand  men  before  it  was  abandoned. 
No  other  attack  was  made  during  that  war,  although 
hostilities  were  carried  on  elsewhere  for  some  seven 
years  or  more ;  at  the  close  of  which  Gibraltar  was 
ceded  to  Great  Britain  by  the  Treaty  of  Utrecht. 

"  The  Spaniards,  however,  were  not  yet  satisfied  to 
give  up  this  key  to  the  Mediterranean  without  another 
effort  to  take  what  seems  to  be,  by  reason  of  its  loca- 
tion, their  own. 

"  In  1727  they  renewed  the  struggle,  and  besieged 
the  place  with  twenty  thousand  men,  which  resulted  in 
failure,  as  before.  After  this,  Gibraltarand  the  English 


AND    THE    HOLY    I,AM).  29 

garrison  stationed  there  had  a  rest  from  hostilities  for 
more  than  half  a  century." 

Mr.  Henry  M.  Field,  in  his  interesting  volume  on 
Gibraltar,  and  to  whom  lam  indebted  for  the  material 
historic  facts  brougnt  forth  herein,  says:  "  It  seems 
beginning  a  long  way  off  to  find  any  connection  between 
the  siege  of  Gibraltar  and  the  battle  of  Saratoga,  but 
one  followed  the  other.  The  surrender  of  General  Bur- 
goyne,  who  had  marched  from  Canada  with  a  large 
army  to  crush  the  rebellion  of  the  colonies,  was  the  first 
great  event  that  gave  hope  in  the  eyes  of  Europe  to  the 
cause  of  American  independence,  and  led  France  to  join 
it  openly,  as  she  had  before  favored  it  secretly.  Spain 
followed  France,  having  a  common  hatred  of  England 
with  a  special  grievance  of  the  loss  of  Gibraltar,  which 
she  hoped  with  the  help  of  her  powerful  ally  to  recover. 

"  England,  however,  had  never  been  guilty  of  the  folly 
which  might  be  attributed  to  Spain  of  leaving  this 
important  and  valuable  position  in  the  hands  of  an  insuffi 
cient  army  of  defense.  England  keeps  it  garrisoned 
with  a  force  of  from  five  to  six  thousand  men,  well 
officered,  and  has  possession,  which  is  about  as  strong  a 
point  in  war  as  in  law. 

"  In  June,  1779,  Spain  severed  all  communication  with 
Gibraltar,  and  made  preparations,  assisted  by  her  ally, 
France,  to  renew  the  struggle  to  get  possession  of  what 
she  regarded  as  rightfully  her  own." 

This  siege  was  kept  up  for  nearly  four  years.  At 
times  the  garrison  was  reduced  almost  to  starvation. 
At  one  time  bread  was  so  scarce  that  biscuit  crumbs 
sold  for  a  shilling  a  pound.  Half  a  sheep  sold  for 
$37.50,  a  large  hog  for  one  hundred  and  forty-five  dol- 
lars, and  so  on.  The  besiegers  had  mounted  one  hun- 


30  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

dred  and  seventy  guns  and  eighty  mortars  along  the 
shore,  and  a  continued  fire  was  kept  up  for  months  at  a 
time,  but  all  in  vain.  The  garrison,  commanded  by 
Gen.  George  Elliot,  resolutely  defended  that  which 
England  had  entrusted  to  his  keeping,  and  the  subject 
of  capitulation  or  surrender  was  never  mentioned,  much 
less  entertained  or  considered  for  a  moment.  England 
holds  possession  of  Gibraltar  now,  and  it  is  said  to  be 
one  of  the  strongest  if  not  the  strongest  fortified  place 
in  the  world. 

My  apology,  reader,  for  writing  so  much  of  the  his- 
tory of  Gibraltar  as  I  have  is,  that  I  find  so  few  peo- 
ple in  possession  of  these  historic  facts,  and  before  leav- 
ing this  part  of  my  subject  I  must  ask  your  indulgence 
while  I  describe  as  best  I  can  the  rock  Gibraltar,  into 
which  I  went  and  through  which  I  walked,  wondered 
and  admired  as  one  of  the  great  achievements  of  the 
art  of  war. 

During  the  Great  Siege,  as  it  is  called,  briefly  alluded 
to  above,  when  the  besieger's  bombs  and  shells  were 
flying  over  the  town,  bursting  in  the  air,  scattering 
their  deadly  missiles  in  every  direction,  or  falling 
to  the  ground  with  terrible  devastation,  e^en  reach- 
ing and  twice  dismounting  the  rock  gun  situated 
on  the  very  pinnacle  of  Gibraltar;  when  every  foot 
of  ground  was  visited  by  these  messengers  of  death, 
the  besieged  felt  that  their  only  place  of  refuge  and 
safety  was  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  Making  a  vir- 
tue of  necessity,  these  galleries  or  tunnels  (for  they  are 
just  like  railroad  tunnels,  except  they  have  no  arches  to 
support  the  roof,  being  hewn  their  whole  length  through 
solid  rock — the  roof  is  self-supporting),  were  begun  and 
have  since  been  completed. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  31 

In  going  through  these  rock  galleries,  out  of  reach 
of  shell,  bomb  or  ball,  a  safe  retreat  from  all  danger, 
I  thought  what  a  beautiful  illustration  of  the  salvation 
of  the  Christian — his  life  hid  in  Christ.  I  thought  of 

the  hymn, 

"  Rock  of  Ages  cleft  for  me, 
Let  me  hide  myself  in  thee." 

These  tunnels  are  two  or  three  miles  in  length.  They 
were  made  near  enough  to  the  outside  of  the  rock  for 
side  chambers,  which  are  seen  every  thirty  or  forty  feet. 
From  these  port-holes  are  opened,  which  not  only  admit 
light,  but  at  all  of  which  heavy  guns  are  mounted  on 
carriages,  which  enable  them  to  swing  around  in  any 
desired  direction.  These  galleries,  or  tunnels,  as  I  call 
them,  are  built  one  above  another,  and  in  every  cham- 
ber may  be  seen  a  heavy  piece  of  artillery  ready  to  be 
made  to  speak  in  thunder  tones  at  a  moment's  warning. 
These  guns  guard  the  straits.  From  a  certain  land 
station  near  the  coast,  I  suppose  the  headquarters  of 
the  commander  of  the  shore  batteries,  which  are  built 
all  along  the  west  side  of  the  rock,  three  miles  in  length, 
you  can  see  guns  by  the  hundreds,  and  among 
them  two  one-hundred- ton  guns  which  throw  a  two- 
thousand-pound  ball  eight  miles.  Running  to  the  sig- 
nal station  at  the  summit  of  Gibraltar  is  a  basket  rail- 
way. The  basket,  large  enough  to  carry  two  men,  is 
attached  underneath  to  an  endless  rope  which,  running 
over  cylinders  at  each  end,  carry  the  basket  back  and 
forth.  To  what  special  use  this  is  put  I  am  unable  to 
say. 

If  Gibraltar  were  merely  a  rock  in  the  ocean  we  could 
but  admire  its  solitary  grandeur.  But  it  is  at  the  same 
time  the  strongest  fortress  in  the  world,  and  a  day 
spent  in  looking  over  its  defenses  is  time  well  spent. 


32  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

For  by  so  doing  one  can  see  for  himself  all  the  multi- 
plied resources  of  modern  warfare.  Not  being  conver- 
sant, however,  with  the  nomenclature  and  military 
acquirements  necessary  to  a  full  and  comprehensive 
explanation  of  these  various  and  complete  works  of 
defense,  which  seem  to  have  been  brought  to  perfection 
in  this  locality,  I  will  call  the  attention  of  the  reader  to 
some  other  things  about  this  marvellous  rock  that  may 
prove  to  be  more  interesting.  The  east  side  of  the  rock 
has  no  fortification,  it  being  a  perpendicular  wall  of  solid 
rock,  reaching  from  the  surface  of  the  water  to  a  height 
of  fourteen  hundred  feet;  it  needs  no  other  fortification 
than  that  made  by  nature.  This  perpendicular  wall 
extends  partly  around  the  northern  end  of  the  rock 
which  looks  towards  Spain.  On  a  shoulder  of  the  rock 
high  above  the  town  sits  an  old  Moorish  castle  built  in 
the  eighth  century.  A  picturesque  old  relic  of  the 
medieval  ages,  built  by  some  invader  of  the  Spanish 
coast  at  that  period,  "  here  it  has  stood  frowning  over 
land  and  sea  for  nearly  twelve  hundred  years." 

On  the  north  extremity  of  the  eastern  side  of  Gib- 
raltar, on  a  small  plat  of  ground  but  a  few  feet  above 
the  level  of  Catalan  bay,  nestles  a  little  settlement  of 
Italian  fishermen.  This  little  village  reminds  one  of  an 
infant  resting  in  its  mother's  arms,  and  surely  Gibraltar 
protects  this  little  village  from  the  storms  that  fre- 
quent these  rocky  shores.  This  great  rock  is  one  of 
the  Pillars  of  Hercules.  If  you  will  look  north  of  east 
over  on  the  African  coast  across  the  straits,  you  will  see 
a  mountain  taller  than  its  fellows,  with  the  white  .walls 
of  a  village  reflecting  the  evening  sun  situated  on  a 
bench  of  land  upon  its  side  ;  the  top  of  the  mountain 
reaching  several  hundred  feet  above  and  in  the  rear  of 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  33 

the  village.  This  mountain  is  the  Abyla,  and  the  other 
Pillar  of  Hercules.  This  one  is  sixteen  miles  from  its 
fellow.  The  little  village  you  see  is  called  Ceutoa.  Here 
Spain  has  a  prison  called  Teata,  where  she  incarcerates 
the  worst  of  her  criminals. 

When  we  leave  Gibraltar  bay  for  Naples,  we  come 
back  around  the  south  end  of  the  rock  of  Gibraltar, 
then  run  northeast  for  a  time,  passing  between  these 
pillars  and  enter  the  historic  sea  of  the  Mediterranean, 
whose  waters  wash  the  shores  of  three  continents. 

The  little  city  of  Gibraltar,  situated  as  it  is  on  the 
west  side  of  this  mammoth  rock,  presents  a  pretty  pic- 
ture to  the  traveler  who  approaches  it  by  steamer 
coming  down  the  bay.  The  distance  from  which  it 
may  be  seen  across  the  blue  water  of  the  bay,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  contrast  between  the  size  of  its  buildings 
and  the  huge  rock  in  the  background,  gives  to  the  city 
and  also  to  the  houses  a  diminutive  appearance  that 
will  not  be  gotten  rid  of  until  you  go  ashore  and  walk 
its  narrow  streets.  You  will  have  to  walk  the  streets, 
for  they  have  no  sidewalks.  They  have  no  room  for 
sidewalks,  consequently  don't  have  them. 

''  Gibraltar  has  largely  a  floating  population,  as 
motley  in  race,  color,  dress,  manners  and  habits  as  can 
be  found  in  any  city  in  the  oriental  countries.  Here 
you  will  see  the  African,  the  Spaniard,  the  Moor,  long- 
bearded  Jews,  Turks  with  their  baggy  trousers,  a  mon- 
grel race  from  the  eastern  part  of  the  Mediterranean 
known  as  Levantines,  Maltese,  Africans,  blacker  by  far 
than  the  blackest  of  our  American  negroes,  who  hail 
from  Timbuctoo."  The  stranger  will  meet  and  jostle 
against  this  mongrel  set  in  the  narrow  streets,  and 
hear  but  fail  to  understand  their  various  languages. 


34  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

4 

Each  speaks,  but  others  do  not  "  hear  in  his  own 
tongue,"  as  was  the  case  with  the  people  who  were 
listening  to  Peter  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 

But  1  see  the  sun  is  sinking  behind  the  hills  of  Spain, 
and  as  we  must  get  without  the  walls  of  the  city  before 
the  sunset  gun  is  fired — after  which  time  the  gates  are 
closed,  and  none  allowed  to  leave  or  enter  the  city —we 
had  better  be  making  our  way  through  these  crowded 
streets  toward  the  wharf,  where  we  can  get  a  small  boat 
to  row  us  out  to  our  steamer. 

Our  steamer  has  had  forty  or  fifty  hands  employed 
all  day  passing  baskets  of  coal  from  a  coal  boat 
anchored  in  the  bay,  into  the  coal  house  of  the  steamer. 
The  Selgravia  was  a  seven  thousand  five  hundred  ton 
vessel,  and  consumed  from  forty  to  sixty  tons  of  coal 
every  twenty-four  hours.  She  was  four  hundred  feet 
long,  forty  feet  across  the  beam,  and  thirty-eight  feet 
deep;  a  good  sea-going  vessel,  strong  and  substantial, 
but  not  fast.  When  the  wind  was  favorable  so  that 
she  could  use  her  sails,  she  would  make  from  twelve  to 
fifteen  miles  an  hour. 

On  our  voyage  as  far  as  Gibraltar,  however,  we  had 
had  contrary  winds,  which,  instead  of  increasing, 
retarded  our  speed. 

But  here  we  are  alongside  of  our  steamer.  "We  will 
climb  up  these  steps  which  have  been  swung  down 
alongside  for  the  accommodation  of  passengers  going 
from  and  returning  on  board. 

This  is  a  beautiful  bay,  five  miles  wide,  and  ordi- 
narily a  secure  and  safe  harbor  ;  but  we  were  informed 
that  the  night  before,  when  the  storm  was  at  its  height, 
the  bay  was  rougher  and  the  waves  ran  higher  than 
was  ever  known  before.  Such  must  have  been  the  case, 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  35 

for  as  soon  as  it  was  known  that  the  Utopia  had  gone 
down  the  whole  bay  was  made  as  light  as  day,  by 
means  of  electric  lights,  and  yet,  few  of  her  passengers 
were  saved,,  owing  to  the  inability  to  use  small  boats, 
as  they  were  dashed  to  pieces  against  the  rock  wall 
that  borders  the  bay,  as  fast  as  they  were  launched. 
Small  boats  have  been  at  work  to-day  picking  up  the 
dead  bodies  of  such  as  come  to  the  surface.  The  greater 
number  of  the  bodies  of  the  dead  were  still  confined  in 
the  state-rooms  of  the  steamer,  however,  when  we  left 
Gibraltar.  How  true  it  is  "  in  the  midst  of  life  we 
are  in  death,"  for  we  know  not  the  day  nor  the  hour 
when  it  may  be  said  to  us,  as  it  was  to  the  rich  farmer: 
"  Thou  fool;  this  night  thy  soul  shall  be  required  of 
thee." 

Our  steamer  is  now  weighing  anchor,  we  shall  soon 
be  off  for  Naples.  Here  we  go  !  How  beautiful  this 
little  city  of  the  rock  looks,  with  its  hundreds  of  gas 
and  electric  lights,  throwing  their  glittering,  glistening 
rays  over  the  rippling  waters.  Tier  aftef*tier  of  lights 
rising  one  above  the  other  like  so  many  glittering  stars. 
But,  reader,  I  will  meet  you  in  my  next  chapter  before 
reaching  the  city  of  Naples,  where  I  hope  to  point  out  to 
you  many  things  that  will  both  instruct  and  interest  you. 


TEAVELS    IN   EGYPT 


CHAPTEE  III. 

IT  will  be  remembered  we  left  Gibraltar  at  night,  pass- 
ing round  the  south  end  of  the  rock  and  then 
changed  our  course  and  ran  between  the  rock  and 
the  African  coast,  passing  between  the  two  Pillars  of 
Hercules,  am?  entered  the  Mediterranean  sea. 

The  morning  of  the  19th  of  March  finds  us  steaming 
over  a  calm,  smooth  sea.  The  day  bright  and  pleasant, 
our  company  all  well,  cheerful  and  happy.  On  the  left 
of  our  steamer  are  the  snow-covered  mountains  of  the 
coast  of  Spain;  the  dark  continent  of  Africa  on  our 
right.  Sail  vessels  are  frequently  in  sight,  and  we  are 
all  enjoying  the  happy  reflection  that  a  few  more  days 
will  bring  our  long,  tempestuous  sea  voyage  to  a  close. 
Hymns  of  praise  and  songs  of  rejoicing  are  heard 
floating  over  the  waters  of  the  deep  blue  Mediterranean, 
as  our  passengers  give  expression  to  the  feelings  that 
fill  their  hearts  to  overflowing.  All  realize  the  clangers 
through  which  we  have  passed ;  all  feel  that  a  special 
providence  has  been  over  us  and  that  God  has  graciously 
spared  our  lives  for  some  purpose  best  known  to  Him- 
self. 

Among  the  mountains  along  the  Spanish  coast  is  one 
higher  and  perhaps  more  pointed  than  the  others, 
called  the  "  Cat's  Paw;"  why  it  is  so-called  I  can 
not  learn,  as  I  could  see  no  resemblance  between  the 
peak  and  a  cat's  paw,  or  the  paw  of  any  other  animal. 

March  22d,  Sunday  morning. — A  bright,  beautiful 
day,  calm  sea.  On  our  left  are  the  islands  of  Sardinia 
and  Corsica,  Sardinia  near  us.  At  ten  A.  M.  all  the 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  37 

passengers  met  in  the  dining  saloon  and  had  religious 
services.  Dr.  Wharton  preached  a  most  excellent  ser- 
mon from  Acts  20 :  24.  Services  closed  with  some 
feeling  remarks  by  Dr.  Campbell.  We  are  all  in  high 
spirits,  expecting  to  reach  Naples  early  in  the  morning. 

These  steamers  are  kept  neat  and  clean.  The  decks 
are  washed  off  nicely  every  morning,  and  everything 
kept  repainted.  Yesterday  the  sailors  were  let  down 
on  the  outside  of  the  boat,  standing  on  a  plank  sus- 
pended by  ropes  attached  above,  washing  and  scrubbing 
the  painted  parts  of  the  vessel.  I  thought  what  a  risky 
business  that  was.  A  misstep  or  anything  to  throw  the 
man  off  of  his  balance,  and  overboard  he  would  go. 
But  upon  closer  inspection  I  saw  that  each  one  of  them 
had  a  rope  tied  around  his  waist  and  the  other  end 
made  fast  to  some  secure  part  of  the  boat  above.  Just 
so  we  think  God  has  a  cord  of  love  around  every 
Christian  that  keeps  them  from  falling.  How  often  they 
stumble,  how  often  they  doubt  and  fear,  and  how  often 
dark  clouds  intervene  and  they  feel  that  they  are 
groping  their  way  in  this  world  in  doubts  and  uncer- 
tainties. But  every  now  and  then  they  feel  the  rope 
tighten.  They  are  reassured  that  they  are  kept  by  the 
power  of  God.  Hope  returns,  the  clouds  are  dispelled, 
and  they  go  on  their  way  rejoicing,  praising  God,  real- 
izing that  they  are  "kept  by  the  power  of  God  through 
faith." 

Monday  morning,  March  23d,  we  entered  the  bay 
of  Naples.  The  smoking  top  of  old  Vesuvius,  that  has 
been  sending  forth  fire  and  smoke,  and  every  few  years 
scoria,  for  the  past  eighteen  hundred  years,  has  been  in 
sight  for  some  time.  This  volcano  can  be  seen  for 
twenty  miles  from  almost  any  direction  around  it. 


38  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

The  city  makes  a  pretty  picture  as  you  approach  it 
from  the  bay.  It  is  built  around  the  head  of  the  bay, 
extending  back  from  the  shore  up  the  hill-sides,  bringing 
the  whole  city  in  full  view  when  seen  from  the  bow  of 
a  vessel  in  the  bay.  If  we  include  the  villages  scat- 
tered around  the  bay,  all  of  which  are  in  full  view,  we 
may  put  the  population  of  this  place  at  one  and  half 
millions.  But  our  vessel  has  cast  anchor  half  a  mile 
or  more  from  shore.  There  are  no  wharfs  here.  Vessels 
are  loaded  and  unloaded  by  barges,  and  passengers  are 
brought  on  board  and  carried  ashore  on  small  boats. 
There  come  a  dozen  or  more  making  for  our  steamer; 
and  now  the  steps  or  stairway  is  being  lowered  and  the 
little  boats  are  steering  for  that  side  of  our  vessel, 
each  crew  of  oarsmen  trying  to  be  the  first  to  reach 
the  foot  of  the  stair  way.  Such  scrambling,  such  yell ingt 
such  jargon,  I  never  saw  or  heard  before.  I  looked  at 
them  for  a  while,  expecting  to  see  a  general  naval  fight 
and  a  half  dozen  men  drowned  or  at  least  knocked  over- 
board. But  I  soon  found  that  this  was  their  way  of 
doing  business.  As  soon  as  an  officer  on  board  the 
steamer  would  let  them,  they  rushed  up  the  stairway 
and  began  soliciting  patronage  for  the  different  hotels 
and  making  offers  to  carry  us  and  our  luggage  ashore. 
This  much  I  could  understand  by  their  actions,  for  I 
couldn't  understand  a  word  that  was  spoken.  Only 
part  of  the  little  boats  brought  the  porters  of  the  dif- 
ferent hotels.  Others  came  with  the  expectation  of 
carrying  the  steerage  passengers  ashore;  for  on  almost 
every  steamer  going  out  from  New  York  there  is  a 
greater  or  less  number  of  Italians  returning  to  their 
fatherland.  The  next  day  after  we  left  New  York, 
the  sailors  on  board  our  steamer  found  an  Italian  boy, 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  39 

apparently  sixteen  or  eighteen  years  old,  hid  away 
among  some  freight  in  the  hold  of  our  vessel.  This 
dead-beat  was  brought  out  from  his  hiding  place  by  the 
mate,  and  turned  over  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the 
dining-room  steward  and  cabin-boys,  and  you  may  rest 
assured  they  made  him  earn  his  passage  to  Naples. 

In  one  of  the  little  boats  which  came  up  alongside 
of  our  steamer  was  Dr.  Robert  H.  Crunden,  special 
representative  of  the  firm  of  Messrs.  Henry  Gaze  & 
Son,  London.  Dr.  Crunden  was  the  special  representa- 
tive of  these  gentlemen,  and  was  to  take  charge  of  our 
company,  acting  in  the  capacity  of  conductor,  instruc- 
tor and  interpreter,  and  to  carry  out  in  every  respect 
the  contract  and  agreement  entered  into  by  them  with 
our  party.  And  let  me  say  just  here,  well  and  faith- 
fully did  this  distinguished  gentleman  and  scholar  dis- 
charge his  duty  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  every 
member  of  the  company.  The  Doctor  had  reacted 
Naples  by  railroad  from  London  a  week  before  our  ar- 
rival, expecting  to  meet  us  there  at  that  time,  and  he,  like 
our  families  and  friends  at  home,  had  suffered  great 
anxiety  as  to  our  fate  until  we  reached  Gibraltar  and 
the  news  of  the  steamer's  safe  arrival  had  been  tele- 
graphed over  the  country.  Dr.  Crunden  brought  with 
him  the  necessary  number  of  boats,  baggagemen,  etc.,  to 
convey  our  party  and  baggage  ashore.  We  were 
landed  at  the  custom-house,  where  we  had  to  go  through 
the  formality  of  having  our  trunks,  sachels,  etc., 
examined  by  the  governmental  officers.  A  few  silver 
coins,  however,  slyly  transferred  into  the  hands  of 
these  red-taped  gentry  usually  caused  the  chalk  marks 
to  be  placed  on  our  baggage  without  further  examina- 
tion or  delay.  Our  kodaks  were  a  puzzle  to  them. 


40  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

They  wanted  us  to  open  them  and  let  them  see  what 
was  in  them  ;  this  we  could  not  do,  of  course,  as  it 
would  have  ruined  the  films  and  what  negatives  we 
had  taken;  finally  I  drew  a  photograph  out  of  my  pock- 
et and  made  them  understand,  by  signs  and  gestures, 
that  the  box,  as  they  took  it  to  be,  was  a  photographic 
instrument.  That  satisfied  them,  and  after  making 
their  chalk  marks  on  it  let  it  pass. 

Passing  through  the  dingy,  filthy,  custom-house  into 
the  street,  to  reach  our  carriages,  we  were  besieged 
by  a  score  of  beggars,  the  lame,  the  halt  and  the  blind. 
Although  ignorant  of  their  language,  in  every  land 
and  among  all  people  the  beggar  can  make  himself 
understood. 

In  fifteen  minutes  after  reaching  the  "Washington 
hotel — having  breakfasted  on  board  the  steamer — we 
were  driven  to  the  museum,  where  we  were  shown  the 
statues  of  the  most  celebrated  of  the  Roman  emperors 
and  poets.  Several  priestesses  of  Isis,  a  copy  of  the  statue 
of  the  goddess  Diana  of  the  Ephesians,  and  many  others 
too  numerous  to  mention,  of  great  beauty  and  historic 
interest.  But  what  attracted  my  attention  more 
than  all  things  else  was  the  marble  and  bronze 
statuary,  and  a  host  of  other  articles  Avhich  had  been 
found  and  removed  to  the  museum  from  old  Pompeii 
and  Herculaneum.  Among  the  first  things  that 
attract  the  attention  of  the  visitor  upon  entering  this 
department  of  the  museum  are  the  casts  of  the  human 
bodies  taken  in  removing  the  debris  from  these  old 
cities.  These  are  placed  in  glass  cases  and  arranged  on 
tables  along  the  center  of  the  rooms.  In  shoveling  the 
scoria  from  the  rooms  and  streets,  wherever  a  hole  or 
cavitv  was  discovered  the  laborers  were  instructed  to 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  41 

stop  the  work  and  report  it  to  the  superintendent. 
The  cavity  was  at  once  filled  with  a  mortar  of  plaster 
of  paris  and  a  model  or  mold  taken  of  what  it  contained 
was  thus  secured.  The  first  and  second  cases  on 
entering  the  room  contain  the  model  of  some  men. 
The  third  contains  the  model  of  a  woman  who  had  fal- 
len on  her  face.  This  model  is  so  placed  that  the  face 
may  be  seen  and  you  can  also  see  how  her  hair  and 
drapery  were  arranged.  The  fourth  case,  another 
man.  The  fifth,  models  of  two  women,  probably  mother 
and  daughter.  On  the  side  walls  of  these  rooms  are 
arranged  skeletons  of  horses,  dogs,  cats,  etc.  In 
another  case  may  be  seen  the  skeleton  of  a  man  found 
in  September,  1873,  in  the  region  of  the  Stabian  Gate.  In 
the  next  two,  models  of  men.  In  the  next,  the  model 
of  a  dog  found  in  1874  upon  the  steps  of  a  door  of  a 
house.  This  model  preserves  in  the  impression  of  the 
collar  two  rings  of  bronze.  In  one  house  seven  human 
^keletons  were  found.  In  the  presses  on  the  sides  of 
the  rooms  I  noticed  some  human  skulls,  and  among 
them  one  with  considerable  hair  on  it.  In  this  room 
you  will  see  several  pieces  of  flat  loaves  of  bread,  also 
dried  fruits,  such  as  figs,  grapes,  dates;  also  jellies,  eggs 
and  egg-shells,  and  various  other  eatables ;  also  table- 
ware, lamps,  glasses,  candle-sticks,  quite  a  variety  of 
iron  tools  and  cooking  utensils,  surgical  instruments, 
several  cooking-stoves  of  peculiar  make,  copper  pans, 
buckets,  copper  scales  and  weights,  needles  and  pins, 
mason's  trowels,  bridles,  etc.,  etc. 

In  one  of  the  rooms,  among  other  articles  of  great 
interest  to  be  seen  is  a  small  square  piece  of  marble  upon 
which  is  drawn  in  pencil  JS"iobe  grieving  for  the  death  of 
her  sons.  Also  a  thin  glass  vessel  containing  several 


42  TEAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

ounces  of  oil.  These  were  found  in  the  house  of 
Niobe,  so-called,  a  very  rich  and  spacious  habitation. 
Upon  one  of  the  walls  of  this  house  is  a  painting  depict- 
ing the  death  of  Niobe's  sons.  It  represents  them  on 
horseback  being  struck  by  the  arrows  of  Apollo. 

In  another  room  of  the  museum  may  be  seen  a  plas- 
ter model  of  a  small  twig  basket,  very  pretty,  a  mason's 
chest,  a  purse,  and  the  wheel  of  a  Roman  chariot. 

The  bronze  statuary  taken  from  old  Herculaneum  is 
magnificent.  Bronze  horses,  bulls  and  other  animals, 
full  size  ;  also  a  fine  lot  of  porcelain  ware  which  looks 
as  if  it  had  just  come  from  the  factory.  It  is  price- 
less in  value. 

A  visit  to  this  museum  and  an  inspection  of  these  arti- 
cles which  lay  buried  for  so  many  long  centuries  can  not 
fail  to  interest  the  visitor.  But  there  are  many  other 
things  to  be  seen  in  this  beautiful  city.  In  going 
from  and  returning  to  the  hotel  the  visitor  will  see 
many  novel  scenes.  Such,  at  least,  as  are  never  seen 
on  the  streets  of  our  American  cities. 

Let  me  call  your  attention  to  some  of  them.  Here 
is  an  ox  and  a  donkey  hitched  to  a  cart.  There  goes 
one  with  an  ox  and  a  pony.  See  how  the  shafts  of 
the  cart  are  adjusted  above  the  back  of  the  pony. 
Here  goes  a  cart  with  nineteen  men  in  it.  If  a  few  of 
them  were  to  sit  on  the  rear  end  of  the  vehicle  it 
would  lift  that  little  donkey  off  the  ground.  You 
will  notice  that  they  use  but  few  bridle  bits  ;  instead, 
a  bar  or  rod  of  iron  with  a  depression  in  it  is  fitted  to 
the  nose  of  the  horse  just  above  the  nostrils.  The 
ends  of  this  rod  extend  out  to  three  or  four  inches, 
and  to  these  ends  the  headstall  and  reins  or  lines,  as 
the  case  ma}^  be,  are  attached;  the  rod  being  held  in 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  43 

position  by  a  strap  of  leather  which  passes  underneath 
the  jaw,  like  the  curb  strap  to  our  bridle  bits.  There  goes 
a  milkman.  He  has  the  heads  of  the  cows  and  calves 
roped  together,  and  drives  them  from  house  to  house 
and  draws  from  the  udder  of  the  cow  the  quantity  of 
milk  each  customer  wants.  Does  he  milk  the  cows 
on  the  street,  you  ask  ?  Of  course  !  Don't  you  see  that 
fellow  drawing  a  cup  of  milk  from  a  cow  for  that  old 
woman  standing  near  by  ?  Now  look,  they  are  having 
a  row.  The  old  woman  wants  him  to  deduct  from  the 
price  for  the  foam  that  floats  on  top  of  it.  He  swears 
he  won't  do  it.  I  guess  he  is  swearing.  He  looks  angry 
and  is  talking  loudly  and  rapidly,  and  gesticulating 
with  his  hands,  feet,  his  head,  and,  in  fact,  with  his 
whole  body.  That's  Italian.  Here  is  another  dairy- 
man. He  is  driving  a  flock  of  goats  around,  milking 
them  for  his  customers  in  the  same  way.  One  of 
these  goats  will  yield  half  a  gallon  of  milk  at  a  milk- 
ing. See  their  ears.  Some  of  them  are  nine  or  ten 
inches  long.  There  is  a  smith  shoeing  a  horse  out  in 
the  street.  One  man  holds  up  the  horse's  foot,  and 
another  sits  on  the  ground  and  nails  the  shoe  on. 
Here  are  several  shoemakers,  tinsmiths  and  other 
workmen  carrying  on  their  business  in  the  streets.  This 
is  all  new  and  strange  to  us.  There  is  an  old  washer- 
woman plying  her  vocation  on  the  street.  She  has  a 
line  drawn  from  one  corner  of  a  house  to  another, 
and  there  she  hangs  the  garments  out  to  dry.  Here 
are  four  men  playing  cards  on  the  sidewalk.  There  is 
a  woman  sitting  out  in  the  street  nursing  her  child. 
This  looks  like  a  free  country.  At  least  everybody 
seems  to  be  doing  just  what  they  please,  where  they 
please,  when  they  please,  and  as  they  please.  I  don't 


44  TBAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

see  how  they  could  exercise  any  more  freedom.  I 
guess  this  is  one  reason  these  Italians  turn  anarchists 
when  they  live  in  our  American  cities.  Our  authori- 
ties try  to  make  them  behave  like  decent  white  folks, 
and  not  having  been  raised  that  way  they  rebel.  But  O 
my  !  the  beggars  ! !  the  beggars  ! ! !  Old  beggars, 
young  beggars,  big  beggars  and  little  beggars,  all  ages, 
all  sizes  and  colors.  The  well-formed  and  deformed. 
The  babies  even  are  taught  to  hold  out  their  little 
innocent  hands  and  beg  before  they  learn  to  say 
"  Mamma." 

Now  let  me  call  your  attention  to  these  narrow 
streets.  Very  few  of  them  have  any  sidewalks,  and 
we  see  every  one  walking  and  riding  in  the  streets. 
If  the  street  has  sidewalks  they  are  used  just  as  the 
street  is,  i.  e.,  they  ride  over  them,  drive  their  donkeys 
over  them,  and  use  them  just  as  they  do  the  street 
between  them  and  as  they  do  the  streets  which  have  no 
sidewalks. 

Mount  Vesuvius  is  some  five  or  six  miles  southeast 
of  the  city.  To  reach  it  we  leave  the  hotel  in  carriages, 
each  drawn  by  four  horses;  and  soon  after  leaving 
the  outskirts  of  the  city  we  begin  a  very  gradual 
ascent  of  the  mountain ;  the  lower  side  of  the  road 
being  built  up  terrace-like  with  stones  or  broken  lava, 
to  bring  the  roadbed  to  a  level.  We  take  a  serpen- 
tine route,  winding  first  in  one  direction,  then  another, 
climbing  up  gradually  and  slowly,  but  all  the  time 
going  up  and  on  and  on,  slowly  but  surely. 

The  carriageway  is  good,  a  regular  pike,  and  the 
scenery  grand,  gradually  increasing  in  beauty  and 
extent  as  we  ascend  the  mountain.  On  both  sides  of  the 
road  are  vineyards  and  fig  orchards.  The  land  on  the 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  45 

sides  of  the  mountain  is  very  fertile.  The  higher  we 
ascend  the  steeper  the  ascent  becomes.  We  travel 
thus,  passing  the  observatory  on  the  way,  until  we 
have  completed  a  journey  of  fifteen  miles  from  our 
starting-point.  Here  we  come  to  the  railroad  station. 
It  is  nine  hundred  yards  from  the  lower  to  the  upper 
station.  This  distance  is  gone  over  in  a  small  car 
carrying  some  six  or  eight  persons  at  a  time.  The  car 
runs  on  one  rail  and  is  drawn  up  by  a  wire  rope  or 
cable  and  engine,  at  an  angle  of  from  forty  to  sixty 
degrees.  In  some  places  the  angle  of  the  ascent  is 
forty  degrees,  and  at  others  as  much  as  sixty.  While 
making  this  ascent  we  can  but  realize  the  danger  we 
are  in.  If  the  wire  cable  should  break  during  the 
ascent  or  descent,  the  car  would  go  thundering  down 
the  mountain  with  almost  lightning  speed,  carrying 
its  occupants  to  a  sure  and  speedy  death. 

This  mountain  is  thirty-two  miles  in  circumference 
at  its  base,  and  between  four  thousand  and  four  thou- 
sand five  hundred  feet  in  height.  It  is  annually  being 
built  up  by  the  overflow  and  cooling  of  the  lava  which 
it  ejects. 

From  the  upper  railroad  station  we  are  told  that  it 
is  some  one  hundred  and  fifty  or  more  feet  to  the  mar- 
gin of  the  crater,  and  you  will  find  it  decidedly  the  more. 
This  distance  you  have  to  walk.  It  is  very  steep, 
and  at  almost  every  step  you  sink  down  shoemouth 
deep  in  ashes  and  sulphur.  When  we  made  the  ascent 
the  top  of  the  mountain  from  near  the  margin  of  the 
crater,  for  a  distance  of  a  -hundred  yards  or  more,  down 
its  sides,  was  covered  with  snow.  We  were  told  that  to 
see  Vesuvius  thus  was  a  very  rare  sight.  If  this  burning, 
seething  mass  of  melted  stone;  this  boiling,  lashing  caul- 


46  TEAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

dron  be  a  prototype  of  hell,  as  described  in  the  bible, 
as  a  "  lake  that  burneth  with  fire  and  brimstone," 
also  as  a  "furnace  of  fire,"  and  an  "everlasting 
fire  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels,"  and 
if  that  be  the  place  in  which  we  are  told  that  Dives 
was  when  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  "  being  in  torments," 
and  saw  Lazarus  in  the  bosom  of  Father  Abraham 
"  afar  off,"  and  begged  for  mercy  and  a  drop  of  water 
wherewith  to  cool  his  tongue,  being  "tormented  "  in  a 
flame;  if  all  this  is  to  be  understood  literally;  if  this  hell 
is  a  burning  furnace,  a  veritable  place  into  which  human 
bodies,  after  being  made  "immortal"  and  "imperish- 
able," are  to  be  cast,  and  by  an  unalterable  law  "  fried 
and  cooked  "  and  tormented,  and  tossed  upon  waves  of 
unquenchable  fire  forever  and  forever,  the  picture 
could  have  been  made  more  perfect,  and  such  physical 
sufferings  vastly  enhanced,  if  such  a  thing  were  pos- 
sible, by  representing  it  as  I  saw  Vesuvius  with  the 
beautiful,  refreshing  snow  spread  out  all  around  this 
"miniature  hell,"  upon  which  the  glaring,  scorched 
eyes  of  its  damned  and  doomed  inmates  could  look  and 
long  for,  and  yet  never  reach.  One  had  better  never 
have  been  born  if  literally  and  truly  such  a  fate  be  pos- 
sible. But  such  a  thought  antagonizes  and  contradicts 
every  attribute  of  the  Deity,  and  every  manifestation 
of  Himself  in  all  the  vast  domain  of  the  universe.  We 
can  rejoice  and  thank  God  that  no  such  thing  as  a 
literal  hell  fire  is  anywhere  taught  in  His  word. 

I  can  very  well  remember  when  a  lad  going  with 
my  father  to  church,  and  every  now  and  then  we  would 
hear  one  of  the  old-time  preachers  turn  loose  for  an 
hour  or  two  on  one  of  his  hell-fire  and  damnation 
sermons. 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  47 

They  seemed  to  take  pleasure  in  depicting,  with  all 
the  powers  of  an  excited  imagination,  the  horrors  of 
the  eternally  damned  in  a  veritable  lake,  or  seething 
pit  of  eternal  unquenchable  fire;  from  this  smoking 
pit  in  which  could  be  seen  these  poor,  helpless,  writh- 
ing, squirming,  ever  consuming,  yet  never  consumed 
victims  of  God's  wrath,  in  agony  and  hopeless  despair, 
cursing  and  reviling  each  other  as  a  pastime. 

I  was  not  a  very  impressible  chap,  as  one  may 
imagine,  but  still  these  horrid  pictures  made  such  an 
impression  on  my  mind  as  dethroned  memory  or  the 
dark  curtain  of  death  alone  can  obliterate.  I  looked 
upon  God  as  a  demon,  and  hated  him,  but  was  afraid 
to  say  so,  or  even  to  acknowledge  it  to  myself,  for  fear 
that  he  might  "  damn  "  me.  After  the  dark  curtains  of 
night  were  drawn  around  our  house,  if  I  went  out  to 
Uncle  Moses'  house  (Uncle  Moses  was  one  of  our  ser- 
vants), I  was  afraid  to  go  back  to  the  house  alone.  I 
could  see  the  devil  with  his  long  horns  and  red,  glaring 
eyes  peeping  out  from  behind  every  tree,  or  around 
the  house  corners.  The  sighing  of  the  summer  breeze 
was  to  me  the  faint  echo  of  the  wailing  moanings  and 
cries  of  hopeless  despair,  which  it  was  said  was  ever 
ascending  from  the  parched  tongues  of  its  doomed  and 
damned  occupants. 

God  was  represented  as  a  monster  who  delighted  in 
the  eternal  torment  of  the  creatures  of  his  own  crea- 
tion .  Is  it  any  wonder  that  there  are  infidels  in  the 
world  ?  Is  it  not  rather  surprising  that  there  are  not 
more  of  them  ? 

I  have  thought  proper  to  write  this  much  in  regard 
to  this  burning  volcano,  because  so  many  people  have 
asked  me  concerning  it,  and  so  many  in  doing  so  have 


48  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

directly  or  indirectly  shown  that  they  have  been  taught 
and  believed  that  God  has  somewhere  in  the  great 
expanse  of  his  universe  prepared  just  such  a  place  as  the 
ever-burning  crater  of  Vesuvius,  into  which  the  finally 
impenitent  creatures  of  the  earth  and  all  the  creatures 
of  the  earth  who  know  not  God  will  be  finally  cast,  and 
tormented  world  without  end. 

In  making  the  ascent  to  the  crater  the  visitor  would 
do  well  to  employ  the  aid  of  an  Italian.  Some  of  these 
poor  men  are  always  on  hand,  and  for  a  small  sum  will 
assist  him  in  the  laborious  ascent.  This  they  do  by 
passing  a  strap  of  leather  or  a  rope  around  their  breast 
with  a  hand-hold  in  the  end  behind.  By  pulling  on 
this  strap  it  will  materially  aid  you  and  you  will  be  in 
a  sonse  assisting  the  poor  by  giving  them  wages  for 
their  hire.  As  you  near  the  smoking  crater  you  will 
see  in  every  direction  around  you  plages  varying  in 
size  from  which  smoke  is  issuing.  Some  of  these  places 
are  hot  enough  to  cook  eggs.  The  thought  and  the 
question  flit  across  the  mind,  What  if  this  earth  should 
give  away  under  my  feet  ?  Would  I  have  time  to  say 
"  Lord  receive  my  spirit,"  as  I  go  down,  down,  into 
this  awful  pit  of  boiling  lava  ? 

You  can  approach  near  enough  the  margin  of  the 
crater  to  look  down  into  it  if  you  select  a  time  when 
the  wind  is  in  the  proper  direction  to  blow  the  smoke 
away  from  you,  otherwise  you  might  become  suffocated, 
loose  your  balance  and  fall  in,  as  one  poor  man  did  not 
long  after  we  were  there.  If  the  boiling  mass  be  near 
the  top  of  the  crater  you  may  get  a  view  of  it.  At 
times  it  boils  up  near  the  top,  then  again  it  recedes  far 
down  into  the.  great  cavern  below.  But,  reader,  you 
will  be  an  exception  as  a  visitor,  if  you  remain  long  on 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  49 

the  verge  of  the  crater.  The  sounds  which  come  echo- 
ing up  from  that  abyss  below  will  make  such  an  impres- 
sion upon  your  mind  as  you  never  had  before,  and  such  as 
you  never  want  made  again,  and  such  as  will  cause  you 
not  only  to  get  away,  but  to  want  to  get  away,  and 
that  in  a  hurry.  What  are  those  sounds  like? you  ask. 
They  are  unlike  anything  you  ever  heard.  At  least 
they  are  unlike  anything  I  ever  heard  or  want  to  hear. 
If  they  were  like  any  other  then  it  would  not  have  been 
unlike  every  other.  For  instance,  could  this  noise,  this 
new  noise,  be  comparable  to  the  low,  rumbling,  terrible, 
appalling  noise,  which  is  usually  the  forerunner  of  the 
earthquake  or  tornado,  then  we  might  and  could  say  it 
was  like  that;  but  it  is  not.  Is  there  any  resemblance 
in  it  in  any  respect  to  the  human  voice  ?  you  ask.  Yes, 
I  think  there  is.  There  must  be  a  resemblance  or  it 
would  not  carry  with  it  or  strike  you  with  such  over- 
powering, indescribable  and  unutterable  horror,  or 
make  such  a  wonderful  impression  upon  the  mind  as  to 
cause  you  to  involuntarily  exclaim,  Away  !  away !  and 
go  you  must  and  go  you  will. 

Two  of  the  gentlemen  in  our  party  had  been  upon 
the  top  of  this  mountain  before  we  were  there,  and  I 
wondered  why  they  refused  so  emphatically  to  accom- 
pany us  when  we  began  the  ascent.  But  when  we 
returned  they  said:  "You  now  know  why  we  refuse  to 
go  with  you  up  to  the  crater."  "  Do  you  blame  us  ? " 
No!  no!  For  I,  for  one,  never  intend  to  stand  upon 
that  margin  of  that  crater  again,  even  should  I  visit 
Naples  again  and  again. 

The  crater  is  from  two  to  three  hundred  feet  in 
diameter,  but  this  varies.  The  deposit  of  lava  left 
by  the  recedence  of  the  melted  mass  when  it  has  been 


50  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

up  near  the  top,  or  when  it  has  boiled  up  high  enough 
to  run  over  the  edge  of  the  crater,  continually  con- 
tracts or  narrows  the  diameter  of  the  crater ;  as  it 
increases  the  height  of  the  mountain  when  it  runs  over. 

At  night  the  flames  may  be  seen  showing  up  above 
the  top  of  the  mountain.  These  flames  seem  to  be  so 
epveloped  in  smoke  that  they  can  not  be  seen  during 
the  day. 

Mount  Vesuvius  has  two  summits.  The  northern 
summit  is  called  Somna.  This  peak  has  been 
an  extinct  volcano  from  before  the  memory  of  man. 
The  other  became  a  burning  mountain  or  active  vol- 
cano since  A.  D.  79.  On  the  24th  of  August  in  that 
year  the  first  great  eruption  on  record  took  place.  On 
that  day  the  towns  of  Pompeii  and  Herculaneum  and 
Stabiae  were  buried  under  showers  of  volcanic  sand, 
called  ashes,  stones  and  scoria.  Such  was  the  immense 
quantity  of  volcanic  sand  thrown  out  during  this  erup- 
tion, that  the  whole  country  for  miles  around  was 
envolved  in  pitchy  darkness.  It  is  said  by  some  his- 
torians tha,t  the  ashes  fell  in  Egypt,  Syria,  and  various 
parts  of  Asia  Minor.  After  this,  Vesuvius  continued 
an  active  volcano  for  nearly  a  thousand  years.  The 
fire  then  died  down  and  appeared  to  become  nearly 
extinct,  and  continued  so  for  about  four  hundred  years. 
In  1506  there  was  another  eruption,  and  it  has  remained 
burning  ever  since,  having  eruptions  at  intervals. 

In  describing  the  eruption  that  destroyed  Pompeii 
and  Herculaneum,  a  very  authentic  author  states 
that  "  after  an  interval  of  extreme  heat  and 
drought  the  whole  plain  was  shaken  as  in  an  earth- 
quake, with  a  sound  of  subterranean  thunder,  and  a 
roaring  agitation  of  the  air  and  sea;  at  the  same  time 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  51 

a  torrent  of  smoke  and  flame,  accompanied  by  showers 
of  stone,  burst  from  the  crater,  darkening  the  sun 
like  an  eclipse.  Suddenly  a  column  of  black  ashes  rose 
perpendicularly  into  the  air,  hovered  like  a  cloud,  and 
fell,  and  in  its  fall  overwhelmed  the  towns  of  Pompeii, 
Herculaneum  and  Stabiae.  The  dark  cloud  of  smoke 
and  ashes  carried  dismay  even  to  the  walls  of  Rome. 
The  darkness  which  sank  down  upon  the  city  terrified 
the  inhabitants  to  such  a  degree  that  many  of  them 
threw  themselves  with  their  families  into  ships  bound 
for  Africa  and  Egypt ;  imagining  that  Italy  was  about 
to  atone  for  its  sins  by  enduring  the  uttermost  wrath 
of  the  gods.  This  memorable  event,  as  before  stated, 
occurred  August  24,  A.  D.  79." 

It  has  been  written  and  handed  along  down  the  cen- 
turies since  the  occurrence  of  that  sad  event,  that  the 
eruption  was  sudden  and  unlocked  for,  and  that  these 
unfortunate  cities  were  overwhelmed  without  warning. 
I  am  of  the  opinion,  however,  that  this  is  erroneous.  If 
such  had  been  the  case,  comparatively  few  of  their 
thousands  of  inhabitants  would  have  succeeded  in 
making  their  escape.  As  it  was,  however,  in  uncover- 
ing Pompeii,  not  exceeding  a  hundred,  if  indeed  that 
number,  of  human  skeletons  and  casts  have  been 
obtained.  These  volcanic  eruptions  are  usually  pre- 
ceded by  agitations  and  noises  of  a  threatening  char- 
acter. I  have  no  doubt  but  that  in  this  instance  the 
previous  intimations  were  of  such  a  nature  as  to  have 
fully  apprised  and  forewarned  the  inhabitants  of  their 
danger  and  induced  the  greater  part  of  them  to  seek 
safety  in  flight. 

Now  I  will  take  you  twenty -five  miles  by  rail  to  old 
Pompeii,  one  of  the  cities  that  were  covered  to  the 


52 

depth  of  from  ten  to  thirty  feet  above  the  housetops 
by  the  first  eruption  of  this,  the  now  burning  summit. 
This  walled  city  contained  at  that  time  about  thirty 
thousand  inhabitants.  But  few  of  these,  however, 
comparatively  speaking,  were  buried  beneath  the  rain 
of  ashes  and  lava. 

Although  the  location  of  the  city  was  discovered  as 
far  back  as  1748,  no  persevering  efforts  to  remove  the 
debris  and  expose  the  ruins  were  systematically  made 
until  the  present  century.  It  is  now,  however,  almost 
whplly  uncovered,  and  all  the  ashes  except  in  a  com- 
paratively small  portion  of  the  city  have  been  removed 
without  the  city  walls. 

The  city  or  town,  as  you  may  be  pleased  to  call  it, 
was  three-fourths  of  a  mile  long  and  half  a  mile  in 
breadth;  the  streets  narrow  and  the  houses  compactly 
built,  and  only  one  and  two  stories  high,  the  greater 
number  of  them  being  only  one  story.  As  was  the  case 
with  all  the  old  Eoman  towns  and  cities,  it  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  strong  rock  wall  from  eighteen  to  twenty 
feet  high  and  twelve  or  more  in  thickness,  and  con- 
tained a  requisite  number  of  gates.  But  little,  if  any,  of 
the  wall  was  injured  by  the  overflow,  and  the  injury 
done  the  houses  appears  to  have  been  produced  by  the 
superincumbent  weight  upon  the  roofs,  crushing  or 
smashing  them  in.  The  streets  of  the  old  town  are 
narrow,  usually  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  in  width,  and 
paved  with  slabs  of  hard  blue  limestone.  The  side- 
walks are  not  more  than  two  and  a  half  or  three  feet 
in  width.  The  curbstones  supporting  the  sidewalk  are 
from  ten  to  twelve  inches  in  thickness  and  are  worn 
down  several  inches  in  the  center  by  footmen,  convert- 
ing them  into  troughs.  In  fact  the  wear  of  these  hard 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  53 

stone  pavements  which  in  many  instances  are  cut  down 
by  the  chariot  wheels  to  a  depth  of  from  three  to  five 
inches;  the  wear  of  even  the  stone  fountains  by  the  lips 
of  people  who  drank  at  them  and  where  they  rested  on 
their  arms  while  drinking,  all  go  to  prove  that  Pompeii 
was  an  old  city  at  the  date  of  its  destruction. 

It  is  interesting  to  wander  through  this  old  town,  to 
walk  its  streets,  and  go  through  the  houses  where  these 
rich  proud  old  Eomans  lived  so  many  centuries  ago. 
Evidences  of  wealth  and  splendor  can  yet  be  seen  in  the 
style  and  interior  finish  of  their  dwellings.  Many  of 
them  were  spacious  and  richly  decorated  with  carvings, 
statuary  and  fine  f rescoe  paintings,  etc.  Very  many  of 
the  floors  of  these  houses  are  made  in  fine  mosaic.  In 
the  house  of  Darius  M.  Cassi  may  be  seen  in  the  pave- 
ment a  mosaic  representing  three  doves  drawing  a 
string  of  pearls  from  a  casket.  In  a  large  room  of  this 
house  was  found  the  magnificent  pavement  in  mosaic 
representing  a  battle  between  Alexander  the  Great  and 
Darius,  which  we  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  in  the 
museum.  In  this  same  house  was  found  the  skeleton  of 
a  women  having  a  gold  ring  on  her  finger  with  her 
name,  Cassia,  engraved  upon  it. 

The  house  of  the  tragic  poet,  as  it  is  called,  was  a 
noble  structure,  and  contained  many  fine  paintings 
and  monuments  of  art.  Near  the  entrance  in  fine 
mosaic  is  a  dog  chained,  and  near  him  the  words  : 
"Cave  uanem,"  beware  of  the  dog.  This  is  the  house 
that  Sir  Bulwer  Lytton  in  his  "  Last  Days  of  Pom- 
peii "  selected  as  the  house  which  the  hero,  Claudius, 
was  preparing  for  the  reception  of  his  bride,  lone.  In 
the  house  of  Caius  Sallust  was  found  a  bronze  group 
representing  Hercules  conquering  the  stag.  From 


54  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

the  mouth  of  the  stag  flows  a  jet  of  water.  On  the 
wall  is  a  picture  representing  Diana  nude  at  a  bath", 
in  the  moment  when  she  is  surprised  by  Actaeon,  who 
is  attacked  by  two  savage  dogs.  Nearly  all  these 
houses  were  built  on  the  same  general  plan.  The 
house  was  entered  through  a  vestibule,  on  the  side  of 
which  were  niches  where  the  household  gods  were 
kept.  After  passing  the  vestibule  you  enter  an  open 
court  in  which  was  generally  found  a  fountain  and 
more  or  less  statuary.  The  family  and  servants'  rooms 
were  built  around  and  opened  into  this  court.  In  some 
instances  after  passing  through  this  court  you  passed 
through  either  another  vestibule  or  an  arched  doorway 
leading  into  another  open  court  or  garden  beautifully 
decorated  with  flowers,  shrubbery,  and  statuary. 
In  some  of  these  gardens  large  earthenware  wine- 
casks  of  the  proprietors  have  been  left  in  the 
position  in  which  they  were  found.  These  old  Romans 
were  fond  of  their  wine  and  knew  how  to  make  it, 
keep  it,  and  drink  it. 

The  temples  of  their  gods  and  their  public  buildings 
of  every  description  were  large,  well  constructed,  and 
ornamented  in  the  style  of  the  times.  The  temple  of 
Zeus  was  one  of  the  largest  and  the  most  magnificent 
structures  in  Pompeii.  The  civil  forum,  where  the 
people  assembled  to  talk  over  public  affairs  or,  as  we 
would  say  in  this  country,  to  discuss  political  questions, 
where  games  were  played,  and  where  they  held  their 
public  meetings,  was  large  and  handsomely  decorated 
with  statues  of  the  gods.  The  forum  or  open  court 
was  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  limestone  columns  of 
the  Doric  order  with  statues  placed  between  the  columns. 
It  seems  to  have  been  damaged  by  the  earthquake  of 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  55 

63  A.  D.  and  was  being  rebuilt  when  submerged,  as 
some  of  the  columns  show  that  they  were  being 
rebuilt  but  not  completed  when  the  eruption  occurred. 
A  statue  of  Mercury  was  found  in  the  temple  of  Mer- 
cury. The  temples  of  Apollo  and  Jupiter  may  be  seen 
and  recognized  as  temples  of  these  gods. 

In  the  excavations  made  in  the  years  1881-2  the 
street  of  the  twelve  gods  was  brought  to  view.  At 
the  entrance  of  the  street,  on  the  right,  was  painted  the 
twelve  favorite  gods,  viz.:  Yesta,  Diana,  Apollo,  Ceres, 
Minerva,  Jupiter,  Juno,  Vulcan,  Venus,  Mars,  J^eptune, 
and  Mercury.  These  may  also  be  called  their  greatest 
divinities.  The  temple  of  Isis  was  also  destroyed  by 
the  earthquake  of  63. 

In  September,  1881,  was  found  eighty  cups  of  earthen- 
ware, many  of  which  were  adorned  with  figures,  others 
with  bas-reliefs  and  flowers.  The  pulverized  red  clay 
for  manufacturing  these  cups  was  also  found.  It  has  been 
thought  that  the  ancients  were  not  acquainted  with  the 
use  of  stone  coal,  but  it  was  ascertained  in  this  pottery 
that  the  manufacturer  of  these  cups  used  it  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  his  wares.  Old  Pompeii  had  its  mills, 
bakeries,  soap  factories,  its  taverns,  theaters,  barracks 
for  gladiators,  public  markets,  a  leather  manufactory, 
one  fuller's  shop,  and  a  dyer's  house,  several  bath- 
houses, where  separate  apartments  are  set  aside  for 
ladies,  and  an  amphitheater  where  plays  were  enacted 
and  gladiators  fought,  capable  of  seating  twenty 
thousand  spectators.  The  arena,  four  hundred  feet 
long  and  one  hundred  and  fourteen  wide,  had  a  stone 
wall  some  three  feet  in  height  around  it,  and  ontop 
of  this  an  iron  railing  with  the  bars  set  on  end. 
This  was  made  high  enough  to  prevent  the  wild  fero- 


56  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

cious  beasts  from  leaping  over  when  let  out  of  the 
artificial  caves  or  iron  cages  in  which  they  were  kept. 
These  caves  were  built  of  stone  and  run  back  from  the 
arena  far  enough,  and  were  made  large  enough,  to  hold 
as  many  animals  as  they  desired  to  keep  on  hand  at  one 
time.  There  may  be  seen  also  a  cave  or  rock  room,  the 
entrance  opening  on  the  arena,  into  which  the  bodies 
of  the  dead  gladiators  were  dragged. 

The  Herculaneum  gate  of  the  town,  the  gate  through 
which  the  street  passed  leading  to  Herculaneum,  was 
situated  on  a  hill.  The  gateway  and  walls  adjoining 
are  in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  The  gateway  had 
three  openings,  one  in  the  center  for  chariots,  and  smal- 
ler ones  on  each  side  for  footmen.  The  street  leading 
from  this  gate  is  called  the  street  of  tombs,  on  account 
of  the  tombs  on  each  side  of  it,  where  there  are  some 
eight  or  ten  tombs.  Some  of  these  have  very  hand- 
some tombstones  with  name,  date  of  death,  official 
position,  etc.,  of  the  deceased  engraved  upon  them. 
To  the  left  of  the  gate  is  a  kind  of  guard-house  erected 
with  open  front,  built  in  the  city  wall  for  the 
purpose.  In  this  was  found  the  skeleton  of  the 
Eoman  soldier  whose  duty  it  was  to  guard  the  gate. 
His  skeleton  was  found  buried  to  a  great  depth,  but  at 
his  post,  showing  that  he  made  no  effort  to  escape,  but 
died  at  his  post  of  duty  as  became  a  Roman  soldier. 

Some  excavations  have  been  made  at  Herculaneum, 
and,  as  stated,  some  beautiful  bronze  statuary,  porcelain 
ware,  etc.,  recovered.  To  what  extent  the  excavations 
have  progressed  I  am  unable  to  say.  This  place  was 
buried  to  a  greater  depth  than  Pompeii,  and  there  is 
now  a  very  pretty  Italian  village  called  Resina  built 
over  its  location.  I  would  invite  the  reader  to  visit 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  57 

the  Eoman  Catholic  cathedral,  St.  Januarius,  and  see 
the  decorations  of  its  interior,  which  are  beautiful, 
rich  and  magnificent,  far  beyond  my  powers  of 
description ;  but  it  is  my  purpose  to  call  the  reader's 
attention  to  some  things  exhibited  in  this  church,  fur- 
ther on.  I  therefore  pass  it  by  for  the  present.  I  will 
close  my  remarks  upon  Naples  by  saying  that  we  must 
remember  that  Naples,  as  Rome,  is  in  Italy,  the  home 
of  Roman  Catholicism  unmasked  and  undisguised. 
And  in  this  city  and  its  environments  there  are  some- 
thing near  four  hundred  Catholic  cathedrals,  costing 
millions  of  dollars.  Much  of  it  is  raised  doubtless  as 
was  the  case  in  completing  St.  Peter's  church  at  Rome, 
by  the  sale  of  indulgences.  Reader,  do  you  compre- 
hend what  all  this  means,  that  is,  "the  sale  of 
indulgences  ?  " 

Let  me  give  you  the  language  of  a  celebrated  peddler 
of  these  wares,  the  notorious  Tetzel:  "  Indulgences," 
said  he,  "  are  the  most  precious  and  sublime  of  God's 
gifts.  This  cross,"  pointing  to  a  red  cros§  which  he 
held  in  his  hand,  "  has  as  much  efficacy  as  the  cross  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Draw  near  and  I  will  give  you  letters 
duly  sealed  by  which  even  the  sins  you  shall  hereafter 
desire  to  commit  shall  all  be  forgiven  you. 

"  Indulgences,"  continued  Tetzel,  "  save  not  the  living 
alone  ;  they  also  save  the  dead.  Ye  priests,  ye  nobles, 
ye  tradesmen,  ye  wives,  ye  maidens,  and  ye  young 
men,  hearken  to  your  departed  parents  and  friends  who 
cry  to  you  from  the  bottomless  abyss,  'We  are  enduring 
torment,  a  small  alms  would  deliver  us.  You  can 
give  it  and  will  not.'  The  very  moment,"  continued 
he,  "that  the  money  clinks  against  the  bottom  of  the 
chest" — a  money  chest  he  had  in  his  peddler's  wagon — 


58  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

"the  soul  escapes  from  purgatory  and  flies  free  to 
heaven.  Oh  senseless  people  and  almost  like  to  beasts, 
who  do  not  comprehend  the  grace  so  richly  offered  ! 
This  day  heaven  is  on  all  sides  open.  Do  not  refuse  to 
enter.  This  day  you  may  reclaim  many  souls,  etc.,  etc." 

"  These  peddlers  of  indulgences  purchased  them  of 
the  Pope  by  as  good  a  bargain  as  they  could  make,  and 
then,  after  the  mode  of  traveling  peddlers,  they  dis- 
. posed  of  them  in  retail  to  those  who  dealt  in  such 
articles  of  commerce;  each  indulgence,  of  course,  bear, 
ing  an  adequate  premium.  The  madness  of  superstition 
could  be  strained  no  higher." — "  Historv  of  Roman- 
ism," by  John  Dawling,  D.  D. 

When  we  reach  Eome  I  shall  have  occasion  to  speak 
of  this  iniquitous  fraud,  this  base  system  of  deception? 
this  pious  robbery,  again.  The  bible  teaches  us  that 
God  alone  has  power  to  forgive  sin.  That  God,  mani- 
fest in  the  person  of  Christ,  offered  himself  as  a  propitia- 
tion for  sin.  "  For  when  we  were  yet  without  strength, 
in  due  time  Christ  died  for  the  ungodly."  If  our 
heavenly  Father  had  seen  fit  to  delegate  the  power  to 
forgive  sin  to  a  few  men  and  made  them  the  mediators 
between  Himself  and  sinful  men,  where  arises  in  the 
great  plan  of  redemption  the  necessity  for  the  death, 
burial  and  resurrection  of  Christ,  whom  we  are  told 
laid  down  his  life,  not  to  reconcile  God  to  man,  as  the 
sacrifices  offered  by  all  prior  priests  had  been  made, 
but  to  reconcile  man  to  his  God  by  the  implantation  of 
his  law  in  their  hearts. 

I  do  not  propose,  however,  to  write  a  theological 
book.  I  therefore  leave  the  reader  to  look  up  these 
things  at  a  more  convenient  season. 

Before  leaving  Naples  we  will  take  a  nice  boat  ride  on 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  59 

the  bay,  as  we  are  here  to  see  for  ourselves  how  these 
people  live,  what  they  do,  and  how  they  do ;  to 
learn  by  personal  observation  the  political,  social  and 
religious  status,  not  only  of  this  people,  but  of  others 
with  whom  we  may  commingle  on  our  journey.  We 
will,  therefore,  go  across  the  bay  to  Sorento,  distant 
twenty  miles,  a  nice  summer  resort  w"here  the  wealthy 
citizens  of  Naples  retire  from  the  busy  marts  of  the 
city  and  enjoy  the  sea  breezes  and  quiet  of  a  seaside 
residence  during  the  hot  months  of  summer.  The 
scenery  here  is  charming,  and  the  salubrity  of  the 
air  makes  the  place  a  favorite  resort.  This  lovely 
little  retreat  is  situated  on  a  plateau  of  land  at  the 
base  of  the  mountains,  some  one  hundred  and  fifty 
or  two  hundred  feet  above  the  waters  of  the  bay  which 
lie  spread  out  before  it.  The  town  is  composed  in 
the  main  of  magnificent  hotels,  surrounded  by  orange 
and  lemon  groves,  and  beautiful  gardens  filled  with 
every  variety  of  tropical  flowers  and  fruits,  handsomely 
laid  out  and  decorated  with  statues  of  illustrious 
Italians.  The  mountains  in  the  rear  afford  interesting 
walks  and  picturesque  scenery.  From  their  heights  the 
whole  bay,  dotted  with  sail- boats,  and  the  city  of 
Naples  and  its  contiguous  villages,  are  spread  out 
before  you  and  come  within  full  view. 

The  town  which  is  built  up  to  the  bluff  bank  of  the 
coast  has  some  interesting  manufactories  in  it, 
though  they  are  conducted  on  a  small  scale  and  the 
work  all  done  by  hand.  It  is  entered  by  a  tunnel, 
which  is  lighted  b}7  holes  cut  through  its  arched  roof, 
leading  from  the  boat  landing  up  to  the  village. 
This  tunnel  is  some  four  or  five  hundred  feet  in 
length,  perhaps  more ;  and  although  the  degree  of 


60  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT* 

ascent  is  not  very  great,  one  will  become  quite  fatigued 
before  reaching  the  end.  Here  may  be  seen  Italian 
women  carrying  building  stone,  baskets  of  sand,  large 
boxes  of  oranges  and  other  heavy  burdens  on  their 
heads  up  the  steep  ascent  or  unloading  barges,  begin- 
ning at  sunrise  and  closing  their  day's  work  at  sundown. 
For  this,  if  they  have  lost  no  time  from  work  during 
the  day,  they  are  paid  twenty  cents.  What  wages  are 
paid  to  the  men,  you  ask?  Stout,  able-bodied  men 
are  paid  twenty-five  cents  per  day  for  a  full  day's 
work,  and  they  are  glad  to  get  employment  even 
at  these  low  wages. 

God  does  not  pour  out  his  blessings  and  bestow  all 
the  good  things  of  life  upon  one  people  or  in  one 
locality.  On  the  contrar}^  he  sends  the  rain  upon  the 
just  and  the  unjust  alike.  While  Italy  is  blest  as  a 
country  with  picturesque  scenery,  snow-capped  moun- 
tains, and  lovely  valleys,  clear  blue  skies  and  a  delight- 
ful climate,  fertile  soil  and  all  that  the  lavish  hand  of 
nature  could  do  to  make  it  one  of  the  most  desirable 
locations  to  be  found  for  the  habitation  of  man,  still 
man  has  seen  fit  to  plant,  foster,  and  propagate  a 
religion  in  Italy  which  has  for  ages  kept  that  people 
in  poverty,  ignorance  and  superstition,  that  to 
be  deplored  in  this  day  of  gospel  light  and  liberty 
needs  only  to  be  seen  and  heard.  This  religion  claims 
to  be  that  taught  by  Christ,  the  high  priest  whp  is  at 
the  right  hand  of  God,  who  also  maketh  intercession 
for  us.  Apollus  says,  Hebrews  2:17:  "  Wherefore  in 
all  things  it  behooves  him  to  be  made  like  unto  his 
brethren  that  he  might  be  a  merciful  and  faithful  high 
priest  in  all  things  pertaining  to  God,  to  make  recon- 
ciliation for  the  sins  of  the  people."  In  answer  I 


AND   THE    HOLY   LAND.  61 

would  say  to  Brother  Apollus,  why  all  this,  and  what 
was  the  necessity  of  all  this  if  a  priest,  a  mere  man,  in 
many  instances  a  licentious,  wicked  man,  has  the 
power  to  forgive  sin  ?  If  I  mistake  or  misrepresent 
these  religionists,  tell  me  what  all  these  confessionals 
I  see  in  their  churches  mean  ?  What  is  that  old  woman 
in  rags  and  tatters  whispering  in  the  ear  of  that  clean- 
shaved,  sleek,  fat  priest,  through  a  hole  prepared  for 
the  purpose  in  their  wardrobe,  like  confessionals  ?  She 
is  confessing  her  sins  and  misdeeds,  and  that  old  sinner, 
for  a  consideration,  promises  to  forgive  them. 

We  now  go  by  rail  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  miles 
to  Rome.  The  road  runs  through  a  beautiful  level 
valley.  We  have  the  Mediterranean  on  our  left  and 
the  Apennine  mountains  on  our  right.  During  the 
winter  and  early  spring  this  range  of  mountains  is 
covered  with  snow.  You  see  this  valley  is  almost  one 
unbroken  vineyard.  The  young  olive  trees  are  topped 
and  wire-stretched  from  one  to  another,  making  trellises 
for  the  grape  vines  to  run  upon.  Where  the  ground  in 
these  olive  groves  is  not  occupied  with  the  grape,  it  is 
sown  in  wheat  or  barley.  Every  foot  of  soil  is 
utilized  and  made  subservient  to  the  production  of  some 
article  of  diet  or  of  commerce.  The  mountain-sides  in 
many  places  are  terraced  and  planted  either  in  grain, 
olive,  or  the  grape.  You  will  observe  farm-houses  are 
more  frequently  met  with  here  than  in  some  other 
countries.  Every  now  and  then  you  see  a  mountain 
stream  leaping  down  the  mountain  side,  forming 
a  succession  of  lovely  cascades,  which  add  to  the  beauty 
and  picturesqueness  of  the  scenery.  As  we  near  Rome 
spurs  of  the  mountains  approach  nearer  the  blue  waters 
of  the  Mediterranean,  and  frequently  our  train  plunges 


62  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

into  a  dark  tunnel,  upon  coming  out  of  which,  how- 
ever, our  eyes  are  gladdened  by  seemingly  a  brighter, 
more  beautiful  and  enchanting  scene  than  before.  Is  not 
this  a  correct  illustration  of  our  journey  through  life  ? 
Life  has  its  tunnels  through  which  all  must  pass,  tun- 
nels in  which  the  light  of  joy  and  happiness  is  shut 
out.  Even  our  God  seems  to  hide  his  face  from  us. 
Tunnels  of  sorrow,  tunnels  of  afflictions  for  a 
time  wither  the  soul  and  dry  up  every  fountain  of  joy 
and  happiness;  every  ray  of  light  seems  shut  out  from 
the  soul,  all  seems  dark,  dismal  and  gloomy,  and  did 
we  not  believe  that  soon  we  shall  pass  through  the 
tunnel  and  come  out  into  a  brighter,  happier  day,  pur- 
ified as  by  fire,  sorrow  like  a  shadow  would  follow  us 
all  the  days  of  our  pilgrimage  here  upon  earth.  But 
God  in  his  mercy  and  love  lifts  the  clouds  of  sorrow 
from  our  hearts  and  makes  the  sunshine  brighter  than 
before  the  storm.  "  For  our  light  affliction  which 
is  but  for  a  moment  worketh  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding 
and  eternal  weight  of  glory." 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND. 


CHAPTER  IY. 

ROME,  the  capital  of  the  kingdom  of  Italy,  with  its 
three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  inhabitants,  is 
situated  in  an  undulating  volcanic  plain  that  extends 
a  distance  of  about  eighty-five  miles  north  and  south 
between  the  Apennine  mountains  and  the  Mediter- 
ranean sea,  and  is  about  twenty -five  miles  in  width.  The 
city  is  built  on  both  sides  of  the  Tiber,  which  is  the 
largest  river  in  the  Italian  peninsula.  The  greater  por- 
tion of  the  city,  however,  lies  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
river.  The  general  direction  of  the  river  through  the 
city  is  from  north  to  south,  but  it  makes  several  large 
curves  in  this  distance.  Twenty  bridges  span  the 
Tiber,  connecting  the  city  on  its  banks;  others  are  pro- 
jected. The  river  is,  upon  an  average,  about  sixty -five 
yards  wide,  with  an  average  depth  of  twenty  or 
twenty-five  feet.  The  navigation  of  this  river  is  now 
insignificant.  The  buildings  of  the  city  are  in  the  main 
heavy  stone  structures  three  and  four  stories  high, 
the  streets  wide  and  well  paved,  with  wide,  substantial 
side- walks.  It  may  be  classed  as  a  nice,  substantially 
built,  modern  city,  possessing  all  the  conveniences  of 
street  cars,  electric  and  gas  lights,  water-works,  etc. 

Rome  is  regarded  as  an  unhealthy  city,  and,  judging 
from  its  topography  and  environment,  I  am  sure  inter- 
mittent and  other  malarial  fevers  prevail  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent  during  the  summer  and  autumnal  months. 
We  read  of  what  Rome  was  in  bygone  centuries  and 
think  of  what  it  is  now,  and  we  involuntarily  exclaim: 

63 


64  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

"  Can  this  be  Rome  ?  Rome,  once  the  proudest  of  all 
proud  cities,  the  oldest  city  of  Europe?  Can  this  be 
Rome? "  And  we  are  forced  to  answer:  "  No,  this  is  not 
Rome.  Rome  has  passed  away  and  this  is  but  her 
shadow  left  to  remind  us  of  the  site  of  the  most  power- 
ful city  of  antiquity,  and  to  teach  us  what  great 
changes  time  can  effect."  For  Rome  once  held  the 
highest  eminence  to  which  a  city  can  attain,  and  now 
she  has  fallen,  in  some  respects,  to  the  lowest  depth  to 
which  a  city  can  fall.  "The  contrast,"  says  one  author, 
"  is  as  great  as  though  she  had  fallen  like  one  of  the 
fallen  angels ;  from  the  highest  part  of  the  vaulted 
heavens,  to  the  deepest  depth  of  Hades." 

The  building  of  Rome  was  begun  seven  hundred  and 
fifty-three  years  B.  C.  by  Romulus  and  Remus,  twin 
brothers.  It  has  been  contended  by  some  historians 
that  the  story  of  the  foundation  of  Rome  by  Romulus 
and  Remus  was  purely  legendary,  and  in  part  it  no 
doubt  was,  and  the  legend  of  the  twin  brothers  appears 
to  have  arisen  from  the  proximity  to  Rome  of  a  kin- 
dred town,  called  Rumaria,  somewhere  near  Rome. 
This  is  a  question  I  do  not  propose  to  discuss,  however, 
as  there  are  creditable  authorities  on  both  sides  of  the 
question.  It  has  truthfully  been  said  that  Rome  is  the 
city  of  heroes  and  patriots.  Here  lived  and  died 
Horatius,  Scipio,  Marius,  Pompey,  the  imperial  Caesars, 
and  a  host  of  others  whose  names  are  imperishable. 

At  one  time  Rome  was  sixty  miles  in  circuit,  sur- 
rounded by  a  lofty  wall  which  is  now  in  ruins.  Then 
it  was  the  most  powerful,  populous  and  magnificent 
city  on  the  face  of  the  globe.  It  is  now  greatly  dimin- 
ished in  splendor  and  population.  Yet  it  still  has  many 
monuments  and  statues  of  its  departed  glory,  and  many 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  65 

buildings  of  unsurpassed  splendor.  It  is  some  of  these 
old  ruins  and  her  magnificent  buildings  that  I  wish  to 
visit  again  and  describe  to  the  reader.  In  doing  so  I 
must  confine  myself  to  a  few  only  of  the  many,  for  the 
whole  city  is  filled  with  them.  One  of  the  objects 
of  attraction  in  Rome,  and  one  which  strikes 
the  stranger  with  wonder  and  amazement,  is  the  great 
Catholic  cathedral  called  St.  Peter's  church.  It  is  the 
first  object  which  the  tourist  hastens  to  visit. 

In  visiting  this  church  we  cross  the  Tiber  on  the 
bridge  of  St.  Angelo,  the  finest  bridge  in  Rome,  built 
by  the  emperor  Hadrian,  A.  D.  136.  The  parapets  are 
decorated  with  ten  angels  bearing  instruments  of  our 
Lord's  passion.  In  1668  the  statues  of  St.  Paul  and 
Peter  were  added  by  Pope  Clement  IX.  As  you  drive 
across  this  magnificent  bridge  you  see  just  in  front  of 
you  the  tomb  or  mausoleum  of  Hadrian.  The  bridge 
was  built  by  this  emperor  to  connect  his  tomb  with 
the  city,  and  leads  direct  to  it.  This  tomb  is  a  circular 
structure,  rather  unique  in  appearance,  two  hundred  and 
forty  feet  in  diameter,  height  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  feet.  It-  was  once  encrusted  or  veneered  with 
marble,  of  which  covering  no  trace  now  remains! 
Around  the  top  stood  numerous  statues  in  marble. 

From  Hadrian  to  Caracalla,  all  the  emperors  of 
Rome,  together  with  their  families,  were  interred  here. 
When  the  Goths  under  Vitiges  besieged  Rome  in  537 
A.  D.  the  tomb  was  converted  into  a  fortress,  and  the 
statues  on  the  summit  were  hurled  down  on  the 
besiegers. 

This  old  castle  served  for  a  fortress  during  several 
ages.  Its  first  cannon  were  cast  out  of  part  of  the 
bronze  taken  from  the  roof  of  the  Pantheon,  which 


66  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

will  be  described  hereafter.  Hadrian  erected  his 
mausoleum  outside  the  walls  of  the  city,  which  were 
erected  by  Aurelius.  After  the  Romans  successfully 
resisted  the  attacks  of  the  Goths,  and  since  that  period, 
it  has  constituted  the  citadel  of  Rome,  and  is  commonly 
called  the  castle  of  St.  Angelo,  on  the  possession  of 
which  the  mastery  over  the  city  has  always  depended, 
St.  Peter's  church,  the  Vatican,  and  other  important 
buildings,  were  erected  on  this  Vatican  hill,  as  the 
locality  is  called.  This  hill,  two  hundred  feet  above 
the  plain  beyond  it,  was  never  recovered  as  part  of  the 
city  in  ancient  times,  and  was  not  enclosed  in  the 
Aurelian  walls  which  surrounded  the  city,  at  the  time 
Hadrian  erected  his  magnificent  mausoleum,  as  above 
mentioned.  It  was  once  covered  with  the  gardens  of 
the  emperors.  Caligula  constructed  a  circus  here  and 
erected  the  obelisk,  as  an  ornament  to  the  area, 
which  now  stands  in  front  of  St.  Peter's  church  and 
in  the  center  of  the  plaza,  which  will  be  described 
hereafter.  This  circus  was  the  scene  of  the  races 
instituted  by  Nero,  and  also  of  his  revolting  cruelty  to 
unoffending  Christians  in  the  year  65  A.  *D. 

At  the  end  of  the  same  century  Gregory  the  Great, 
while  conducting  a  procession  to  pray  for  the  cessation 
of  the  plague  then  -raging  in  the  city,  "  beheld  the 
Archangel  Michael  sheathing  his  sword  above  the 
mausoleum,  in  commemoration  of  which  Boniface 
erected  a  chapel  on  the  summit,  which  was  afterwards 
replaced  by  the  present  bronze  statue  of  the  Archangel 
Michael  in  the  act  of  sheathing  his  sword.  Many 
other  statues  of  men  and  horses  ornament  the  parapet 
wall." 

After  crossing  the  bridge  we  turned  to  the  left  and 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  67 

soon  reached  the  piazza  in  front  of  St.  Peter's  church. 
This  open  elliptical  space  in  front  of  the  church  is 
enclosed  by  imposing  colonnades.  The  area  enclosed 
is  three  hundred  and  seventy  yards  in  length  by  two 
hundred  and  sixty  in  width.  Each  of  the  colonnades 
contains  four  rows  of  columns  of  the  Doric  order, 
seventy  feet  in  height ;  resting  on  these  columns  on  the 
interior  of  the  circle  is  a  wide  frieze  handsomely  carved. 
On  their  roofs  are  placed  one  hundred  and  sixty-two 
statues.  They  form  three  covered  passages,  the  central 
of  which  has  space  for  two  carriages  abreast,  and  alone 
cost  near  a  million  of  dollars.  It  is  said  that  the 
building  of  these  colonnades  was  suggested  by  the  sixth 
verse  of  the  fourth  chapter  of  Tsaiah,  which  reads  as 
follows:  "  And  there  shall  be  a  tabernacle  for  a  shadow 
in  the  day  time  from  the  heat,  and  for  a  place  of  refuge 
and  for  a  place  of  covert  from  storm  and  rain." 

On  entering  this  plaza  the  visitor  views  these  four 
rows  of  lofty  pillars  sweeping  off  to  the  right  and  left  in 
a  bold  semicircle.  "  The  effect  is  not  only  striking,  but 
beautiful.  The  immense  piazza  or  plaza  forms  a  fitting 
approach  to  Sft.  Peter's,  the  largest  and  most  imposing 
church  in  the  world."  In  the  center  of  the  plaza 
stands  an  Egyptian  obelisk  which  was  erected  by  the 
emperors  Caius  (Caligula)  and  Nero.  It  was  one  of  the 
obelisks  brought  from  Heliopolis,  near  Cairo,  where  its 
mate  now  stands.  It  has  the  following  inscription  on 
it  in  the  Latin  language,  "  To  the  divine  Augustus,  son  of 
the  divine  Julius,  and  to  the  divine  Tiberius,  son  of  the 
divine  Augustus."  It  is  one  solid  piece  of  granite  one 
hundred  and  thirty  feet  high.  Two  perpetual  fountains, 
forty-two  feet  high,  one  on  each  side  of  the  obelisk,  play 


68  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

in  the  air,  their  waters  falling  in  sheets  round  the  basin 
of  porphyry  prepared  to  receive  them. 

Reader,  I  confess  my  inability  to  describe  in  detail 
this  wonderful  building  which  stands  upon  the  sight  of 
Nero's  circus,  where  St.  Peter  is  said  to  have  suffered 
martyrdom.  That  you  may  have  a  more  correct  idea 
of  its  colossal  size,  its  grandeur  and  magnificence,  its 
imposing  appearance  and  cost,  I  have  used  in  the  fol- 
lowing pages  the  best  authorities  to  be  found,  who 
endeavor  to  convey  an  idea  of  it  by  descriptions  of  its 
various  parts,  which  the  reader  must  put  into  one  grand 
whole  to  appreciate. 

"  Raised  on  three  successive  flights  of  marble  steps, 
extending  three  hundred  and  eighty  feet  in  length  and 
towering  to  the  elevation  of  one  hundred  and  forty- 
eight  feet,  you  see  the  majestic  front  of  the  church 
itself.  This  front  is  supported  by  a  single  row  of  Cor- 
inthian pillars  and  pilasters,  and  adorned  with  an  attic, 
a  balustrade  and  thirteen  colossal  statues.  Far  behind 
and  above  it  rises  the  matchless  dome.  Two  smaller 
cupolas,  one  on  each  side,  add  not  a  little  to  the  majesty 
of  the  principal  dome. 

"  Five  lofty  portals  open  into  the  vestibule,  which 
is  four  hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet  in  length,  sixty-six 
in  height,  and  fifty  in  breadth,  paved  with  variegated 
marble,  covered  with  a  gilt  vault,  adorned  with  pillars, 
pilasters,  mosaic,  and  bas-reliefs,  and  terminated  at 
both  ends  by  equestrian  statues,  one  of  Constantine 
the  Great,  and  the  other  of  Charlemagne. 

"  Over  the  outside  entrance  of  the  vestibule  is  a 
relief  of  Christ  giving  the  keys  to  St.  Peter.  Inside 
the  vestibule  is  Giotto's  celebrated  mosaic,  representing 
our  Lord  sustaining  Peter  when  he  was  about  to  sink . 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  69 

whilst  walking  on  the  water  of  Galilee.  The  upper 
parts  represent  in  relief  our  Savior  and  the  Virgin,  and 
below  these  Saints  Peter  and  Paul.  Below  these  again 
the  martyrdom  of  Saints  Peter  and  Paul." 

"  Five  portals  give  access  to  the  edifice  which  faces 
east.  "When  you  enter  this  church  you  enter  the  most 
extensive  hall  ever  constructed  by  human  art.  It 
expands  in  magnificent  perspective  before  you.  Advanc- 
ing up  the  nave  you  admire  the  variegated  marble 
under  your  feet  and  the  splendor  of  the  golden  vault 
overhead,  the  lofty  Corinthian  pilasters  with  their  bold 
entablature,  the  intermediate  niches,  with  their  statues 
and  the  arcades  with  the  graceful  figures  that  recline 
on  the  curves  of  their  arches. 

"  When  you  enter  this  grand  hall  you  will  look, 
wonder,  and  admire ;  but  your  astonishment  will  be 
greater  when  you  reach  the  foot  of  the  altar,  and 
standing  in  the  center  of  the  church  you  contemplate 
the  four  superb  vistas  that  open  around  you.  Then  lift 
your  eyes  to  the  dome,  at  the  prodigious  height  of  four 
hundred  and  forty  feet,  extended  like  a  firmament  over 
your  head  and  presenting  in  glowing  mosaic  the  com- 
panies of  the  just,  and  the  choirs  of  celestial  spirits. 
Around  the  dome  rise  four  other  cupolas,  small  indeed, 
when  compared  with  its  stupendous  magnitude,  but  of 
greater  boldness  when  considered  separately.  Six  more, 
three  on  either  side,  cover  the  different  divisions  of  the 
aisles,  and  six  more  of  greater  dimensions  canopy  as 
many  chapels.  ^.11  these  inferior  or  smaller  domes, 
like  the  grand  central  dome  itself,  are  lined  with  beau- 
tiful mosaics.  Many  of  the  masterpieces  of  painting, 
which  once  graced  this  edifice,  have  been  removed 
and  replaced  by  mosaics  that  retain  all  the  tints  and 


70  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

beauties  of  the  originals  unimpaired  on  a  more  solid 
and  durable  substance.  The  aisles  and  altars  are 
adorned  with  numberless  antique  pillars  that  border 
the  chapels  all  around  and  form  a  secondary  order. 
The  variegated  walls  are  in  many  places  ornamented 
with  festoons,  wreaths,  crosses,  and  medallions  repre- 
senting the  effigies  of  the  different  pontiffs.  Various 
monuments  rise  in  different  parts  of  the  church  of 
exquisite  structure,  and  form  a  very  conspicuous  feature 
in  the  ornamentation  of  this  grand  te'mple. 

"  Below  the  steps  of  the  altar,  and  of  course  some 
distance  from  it,  at  the  corners  on  four  massive  pedes- 
tals, four  twisted  pillars  fifty  feet  in  height  rise  and 
support  an  entablature  which  bears  the  canopy  itself 
topped  with  a  cross.  The  whole  is  ninety -five  feet 
from  the  floor,  pavement.  This  brazen  edifice,  for  so 
it  may  be  called,  was  constructed  of  bronze  stripped  from 
the  dome  of  the  Pantheon,  and  is  so  disposed  as  not 
to  obstruct  the  view  by  concealing  the  chancel  or  net- 
work and  veiling  of  the  chair  of  St.  Peter.  This  orna- 
ment is  also  of  bronze,  and  consists  of  a  group  of  four 
gigantic  figures,  representing  the  four  principal  doctors 
of  the  Greek  and  Latin  churches,  supporting  the  chair 
at  an  elevation  of  seventy  feet. 

"  Under  the  high  altar  of  St.  Peter  is  the  ( reputed  ) 
tomb  of  that  apostle,  the  descent  to  which  is  in  front 
where  a  large  open  space  leaves  room  for  a  double 
flight  of  steps.  The  rails  that  surround  this  space 
above  are  adorned  with  one  hundred  and  twelve  cornu- 
copia which  support  as  many  silver  lamps,  kept  burn- 
ing in  honor  of  the  apostle.  Upon  the  pavement  of  the 
small  area  enclosed  by  the  balustrade  is  a  leaning 
statue  of  Pope  Pius  VI.  by  Cordova.  The  interior 


AND   THE    HOLY   LAND.  71 

dimensions  of  this  church  are  as  follows:  Length,  six  hun- 
dred and  thirteen  feet ;  height  of  nave,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet;  breadth  of  nave  in  front,  eighty-seven 
feet ;  and  at  the  back  behind  the  tribune,  seventy-eight 
feet ;  length  of  transept  inside,  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet;  from  floor  to  top  of  dome,  four  hundred  and 
thirty-five  feet." 

Every  available  space  of  the  interior  of  this 
immense  church  is  filled  with  sculpture  and  paintings  by 
the  most  celebrated  masters  of  these  arts.  To  the 
right  as  you  walk  down  the  immense  hall  we  see  an  old 
bronze  statue,  doubtless  an  old  pagan  idol,  seated  in  a 
chair  which  is  called  the  statue  of  St.  Peter,  whose  big 
toe  is  worn  at  least  half  off  by  being  kissed  by  the 
devout  Catholics  who  visit  the  church.  I  regard  this  old 
pagan  statue  or  heathen  god  not  only  as  an  insult  to  the 
memory  of  brother  Peter,  but  an  insult  to  the  intelli- 
gence of  the  19th  century;  for  on  its  repulsive  counte- 
nance can  be  read  the  clearly  defined  features  and 
expression  which  characterize  the  untutored  heathen 
and  barbarian,  and  brother  Peter  was  neither. 

In  this  church  they  have  a  chair  which  it  is  claimed 
was  the  bishopric  chair  of  St.  Peter,  whom  Catholics 
declare  was  the  first  bishop  of  Rome.  They  claim  that 
he  was  bishop  of  Rome  for  twenty-five  years.  Now, 
so  far  as  the  scriptures  inform  us,  there  is  no  reason  to 
believe  Peter  ever  was  in  Rome,  unless  we  understand 
in  the  salutation  'The  church  that  is  at  Babylon 
saluteth  you, '  mentioned  in  the  13th  verse  of  the 
closing  chapter  of  his  first  Epistle,  really  to  mean 
imperial  Rome.  The  majority  of  early  Christian 
writers  agree,  however,  in  the  opinion  that  Peter  came 
to  Rome  just  before  his  death,  and  was  there  crucified- 


72  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

In  the  year  58  or  59  A.  D.  we  hear  of  him  traveling 
with  his  wife.  He  is  not  spoken  of  as  being  at  Rome 
in  62,  when  Paul  went  there  a  prisoner,  nor  does  Paul 
mention  him  as  being  there  during  the  two  years  he 
was  prisoner  in  that  city. 

It  is  estimated  that  St.  Peter's  church  cost  sixty 
million  dollars,  and  the  colonnades  semicircling  the 
piazza  before  described  cost  near  one  million.  The 
area  covered  by  this  church  is  eighteen  thousand  square 
yards,  while  that  of  the  cathedral  at  Milan  is  ten 
thousand,  St.  Paul  at  London  nine  thousand  three 
hundred  and  fifty,  St.  Sophia  (Mohammedan  mosques, 
Constantinople,  eight  thousand  one  hundred  and  fifty; 
and  Cologne  cathedral,  seven  thousand  four  hundred 
square  yards.  It  costs  thirty-five  thousand  dollars  per 
annum  to  sweep  and  keep  this  church  in  decent  order. 
St.  Peter's  church  was  consecrated  by  Pope  Urban 
VIII.  on  the  18th  of  November,  1626,  on  the  thirteen 
hundredth  anniversary  of  the  day  which  St.  Sylvester 
is  said  to  have  consecrated  the  original  church,  founded 
by  Constantino  on  the  site  of  emperor  Nero's  circus, 
which  was  torn  down  to  erect  the  present  edifice. 

Now,  reader,  in  the  foregoing  description  of  this  far- 
famed  cathedral,  I  trust  I  have  impressed  your  mind 
with  its  magnitude  and  its  imposing  grandeur ;  yet  to 
realize  this  to  its  fullest  extent  it  must  be  seen,  studied, 
and  compared  to  other  buildings  and  objects,  for  it  is 
only  by  comparison  that  its  immensity  and  architec- 
tural beauty  can  be  fully  realized.  Rome,  as  you  know, 
is  intensely  Catholic,  and  has  many,  very  many,  mag- 
nificent, costly  cathedrals,  to  some  of  which  I  will 
carry  you  before  we  leave  the  city,  as  many  of  them 


AND   THE    HOLY    LA.ND.  73 

are  associated  with   events  of  which  I  mast  speak 
and  which  can  not  fail  to  interest  you. 

It  is  admitted  that  St.  Peter's  is  the  largest  and 
costliest  church  edifice  in  the  world.  So  we  can  say 
of  the  Vatican  that  it  is  the  largest  palace  in  the  world. 
It  is  located  near  the  anterior  court  of  the  old  church 
of  St.  Peter's,  which  was  torn  down  in  1506  A.  D.  to 
erect  the  present  one,  as  before  stated.  The  palace 
now  possesses  twenty  courts  and  is  said  to  comprise 
eleven  thousand  halls,  chapels,  saloons  and  private 
apartments.  In  my  lectures  I  have  stated  the  number 
of  apartments  in  the  Vatican  to  be  eleven  hundred,  for 
so  some  authorities  state  it,  but  I  find  reliable  author- 
ity for  putting  the  number  at  eleven  thousand.  This 
seems  almost  incredible,  yet  facts  are  facts,  and  when 
we  consider  what  power  and  wealth  was  for  so  long  a 
time  in  the  hands  of  the  Pope  of  Rome,  nothing  seems 
incredible  to  be  accomplished  by  time,  patience,  perse- 
verance and  unlimited  resources.  This  is  the  home  of 
the  popes,  but  by  far  the  greater  number  of  the  apart- 
ments are  occupied  by  collections  of  paintings  and 
statuary,  a  comparatively  small  part  of  the  building 
being  set  apart  for  the  papal  court.  This  building,  hav- 
ing been  added  to  by  different  architects  in  various  eras, 
has  no  systematic  design,  but  looks  more  like  a  large 
factory  than  a  palace  for  the  vice-gerents  of  God.  The 
Vatican  contains  the  largest  as  well  as  the  most  cele- 
brated works  of  art  in  the  world ;  and  if  the  reader 
ever  visits  Rome  I  would  advise  him  or  her  to  spend 
all  the  time  possible  in  visiting  the  galleries  of  the 
Vatican,  for  no  pen  or  words  can  convey  a  correct 
idea  of  the  magnificence  and  the  wonderful  works  of 


74  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

art  which  are  found  in  them,  and  which  can  be  seen  in 
no  other  galleries  in  the  world. 

Reader,  come  and  we  will  now  visit  one  of  the  old 
buildings  of  ancient  Rome  and  the  best  preserved  one 
among  them.  In  fact,  it  is  the  only  ancient  edifice  at 
Rome  which  is  still  in  perfect  preservation  as  regards 
the  walls  and  vaulting.  I  refer  to  the  Pantheon,  which 
is  a  large  circular  edifice  originally  designed  by 
Agrippa  to  form  the  conclusion  of  his  extensive 
thermae  (warm  baths)  which  were  intended  for  public 
use  only,  and  with  which  it  was  intimately  connected. 
The  ruins  of  the  original  building  of  which  the  Pantheon 
was  a  part  may  now  be  seen  in  its  rear.  It  is  one  of 
the  noblest  and  most  perfect  productions  of  that  style 
of  architecture  specifically  denominated  "  Roman  "  in 
existence.  The  interior  is  approached  through  a  porch 
or  portico  one  hundred  and  ten  feet  long  and  forty -four 
deep.  The  roof  of  this  portico  is  supported  by  sixteen 
Corinthian  columns  forty-six  feet  high  and  five  feet  in 
diameter.  The  main  building  is  one  hundred  and  forty 
feet  in  diameter  and  one  hundred  and  forty-two  feet 
high.  The  walls  are  of  hard  burned  brick  twenty  feet 
in  thickness  and  were  originally  covered  with  marble 
and  stucco.  It  was  built  by  M.  Agrippa  27  B.  C.,  a 
relative  of  King  Agrippa  before  whom  Paul  plead  his 
own  cause.  The  height  and  diameter  of  the  dome  are 
the  same,  being  each  one  hundred  and  forty  feet.  The 
interior  is  lighted  by  a  single  aperture  thirty  feet  in 
diameter  in  the  center  of  the  dome.  The  surface  of 
the  walls  is  broken  by  seven  large  niches  in  which 
were  placed  the  statues  of  the  gods.  In  1609  the 
Pantheon  was  consecrated  by  Pope  Boniface  IV.  as  a 
Christian  church  under  the  name  of  St.  Maria  ad 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  75 

Martyrs,  and  in  commemoration  of  the  event  the 
festival  of-  All  Saints  was  instituted  ;  first,  on  May  13th, 
but  afterwards  changed  to  the  1st  of  November. 
Victor  Emanuel  II  lies  buried  in  the  second  recess  to 
the  right  of  the  high  altar,  and  Kaphael  in  the  first 
chapel  on  the  left.  The  half  of  this  building  in  which 
Victor  Emanuel  is  buried  belongs  to  Italy,  and  the 
other  half  to  the  Roman  Catholic  church.  The  remains 
of  very  many  noted  artists,  both  sculptors  and  painters, 
lie  buried  here. 

We  next  visit  the  Colosseum ;  originally  called  the 
Amphitheater  of  Flavian,  or  the  Flavian  Amphitheater. 
This  was  not  only  the  largest,  but  one  of  the  most 
imposing  structures  of  ancient  Rome.  It  was  com- 
pleted and  dedicated  by  Titus,  A.  D.  80.  It  was  built 
by  captive  Jews  after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  when 
besieged  by  Vespasian  and  Titus.  When  perfect,  the 
Colosseum  was  four  stories  high ;  the  first  story,  built  on 
the  Doric  order  of  architecture,  was  thirty  feet  high  ; 
the  second,  Ionic,  thirty-eight  feet ;  the  third,  Corin- 
thian, thirty-eight  feet ;  the  fourth,  Corinthian,  forty- 
four  feet  high.  The  long  diameter  is  six  hundred  and 
fifty-eight  feet,  the  shorter,  five  hundred  and  fifty- 
eight  feet ;  height,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  This 
immense  building  was  constructed  of  blocks  of  white 
concretionary  limestone  held  together  by  iron  clamps. 
Tufa  and  brick  also  entere'd  into  the  inner  works.  The 
entire  structure,  immense  as  it  was,  was  veneered 
inside  and  out  with  Parian  marble.  Although  only 
about  one-third  of  this  gigantic  structure  now  remains 
standing,  the  ruins  are  stupendously  impressive. 
Notwithstanding  that  for  a  long  period  it  was  used  for 
a  stone  quarry  for  obtaining  material  for  other  build- 


76  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

ings,  still  an  architect  of  the  last  century  estimated  the 
value  of  the  material  still  existing  at  one  and  a  half 
million  scudi,  or,  of  our  money,  two  and  a  half  million 
dollars.  For  five  hundred  years  this  theater  was  the 
great  resort  of  the  inhabitants  of  ancient  Rome. 
"  Which  on  its  public  shows  unpeopled  Rome  and  held 
uncrowded  nations  in  its  womb."  (Juvenal.) 

There  were  eighty  arches  of  entrance,  and  it  held  one 
hundred  thousand  people,  and  could  be  emptied  in  ten 
minutes.  Such  was  the  order  kept  and  the  regulations 
observed,  that  there  was  no  confusion.  How  different 
from  the  construction  of  the  theaters  and  hotels  of  the 
present  day,  where  thousands  of  people  not  unfre- 
quently  lose  their  lives  for  want  of  ready  means  of 
escape  from  burning  buildings. 

Surrounding  the  basement  area  or  arena,  as  we  would 
call  it,  at  several  places  were  constructed  passages  lead- 
ing out  under  the  seats  of  the  audience  to  caverns 
in  which  wild  animals  were  kept  and  cared  for.  Let 
me  show  you  here  this  long  passage  which  has  been 
opened.  You  see  it  is  above  the  ground  floor,  and 
below  this  passage  was  a  great  drain  which  could  be 
closed  by  floodgates.  This  was  for  letting  off  water  after 
the  naval  fights.  On  the  right  of  this  drain,  but  at  a 
lower  level,  were  two  of  the  dens  for  wild  animals. 
They  are  about  twenty-five,  yards  long  and  five  yards 
wide.  If  you  will  notice,  on  the  floor  of  these  dens 
holes  were  mortised  in  the  rock  which  were  faced  with 
bronze  ;  these  were  evidently  sockets  in  which  metal 
posts  were  set  to  which  the  animals  were  secured. 
Condemned  men  and  early  Christians  were  frequently 
devoured  in  the  arena  by  these  ferocious  animals,  for  the 
amusement  of  the  populace  of  Rome.  The  arena  was 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  77 

constructed  with  two  floors.  The  upper  one,  which  was 
covered  with  sand,  was  used  for  gladiatorial  fights,  and  so 
arranged  that  it  could  be  elevated  by  machinery  above 
the  heads  of  the  spectators,  and  by  a  system  of  water- 
works water  let  in  on  the  first  floor  or  basement  floor  of 
the  arena,in  which  naval  fightsoccur.  I  do  not  mean  that 
these  gladiatorial  fights  or  naval  battles  Were  sham 
contests.  On  the  contrary,  let  me  say,  for  the  benefit  of 
young  readers  of  these  pages,  that  they  VJQYQ  fights  to  the 
death.  We  are  informed  that  Commodus,  who  ascended 
the  imperial  throne  A.  D.  180,  had  an  underground 
passage  constructed  through  which  the  dead  bodies  were 
dragged,  to  clear  the  arena  preparatory  to  other  con- 
tests. When  the  Colosseum  was  completed  and  inaug- 
urated, gladiatorial  combats  were  continued  from  day 
to  day  for  one  hundred  days,  during  which  five  hun- 
dred wild  animals  and  men  were  killed.  These  gladia- 
tors prided  themselves  upon  their  prowess  in  hand-to, 
hand  and  short  sword  combats,  with  each  other  and 
with  wild  animals.  When  with  each  other,  if  an  oppo- 
nent was  wounded  and  cut  down,  upon  a  certaing  sign 
being  given  by  the  audience  the  victorious  gladiator 
withdrew  from  the  arena  and  left  his  fallen  foe  to  his 
fate.  If,  however,  no  sign  of  mercy  was  shown  he  was 
pierced  through  with  a  sword  or  javlin,  and  his  dead 
body  removed  from  the  arena,  as  above  stated. 

It  is.no  wonder  the  Roman  armies  were  regarded  as 
invincible,  when  wje  reflect  that  their  young  men  were 
trained  up  to  witness  and  engage  in  such  pastimes  of 
cruelty  and  bloodshed ;  all  the  refining,  elevating 
emotions  and  promptings  of  their  better  natures  being 
smothered  down  and  crushed  out  by  the  cultivation  of 
the  baser,  more  cruel  and  tyrannical  passions  which 


78  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

fitted  them  for  war,  treason,  cruelty  and  oppression.  Is 
there  any  age  reported  by  historians  in  which  the  mere 
mention  of  its  rulers  condemn,  as  that  recalled  by  the 
mention  of  Tiberius,  Gaius,  Claudius,  Nero,  Galba,  Otho, 
and  Yitelius,  and  which  sank  at  last  under  the  hideous 
tyranny  of  Domitian  ?  The  Colosseum,  when  in  perfect 
order,  was  such  a  massive,  stupendous  edifice,  and  being 
the  pride  and  glory  of  the  inhabitants  as  well  as  the 
symbol  of  the  greatness  of  Rome,  gave  rise  in  the  eighth 
century  to  a  prophetic  saying  of  the  pilgrims : 

"While  stands  the  Colosseum,  Rome  shall  stand. 
"When  falls  the  Colosseum,  Rome  shall  fall,  and  when 
Rome  falls  with  it  shall  fall  the  world." 

But  the  Colosseum  has  fallen,  and  Rome  has  fallen, 
but  the  world  stands,  and  will  continue  to  stand  until 
God  in  his  own  good  time  shall  send  an  angel  or 
archangel  to  proclaim  that  time  shall  be  no  more. 
Byron  calls  the  Colosseum  "  a  noble  wreck  in  ruinous 
perfection."  • 

To  the  southwest  and  near  the  Colosseum,  between 
the  Caelian  and  Palatine  hills,  spanning  the  triumphal 
way  which  here  joined  the  sacred  way,  stands  the  tri- 
umphal arch  of  Constantino,  one  of  the  best  preserved 
structures  of  the  kind  in  Rome.  This  arch  was  erected 
in  A.  D.  311,  when  Constantine  declared  himself  in 
favor  of  Christianity,  and  after  his  victory  over  Maxen- 
tius,  near  the  little  river  Cremera,  about  nine  miles  from 
Rome.  Maxentius  lost  the  day  after  a  bloody  conflict, 
and  in  endeavoring  to  enter  the  city  by  the  Milvian 
bridge  was  precipitated  into  the  Tiber,  where  he 
perished.  Constantine  was  received  at  Rome  with 
acclamations,  and  became  the  first  Christian  emperor  of 
Rome.  This  arch  spans  the  Appian  way,  where  it 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  79 

leaves  the  city,  and  was  dedicated  by  the  people  and 
senate  of  Rome  to  commemorate  the  victories  of  the 
first  Christian  emperor.  To  make  this  arch  they 
removed  reliefs  from  the  arch  of  Trajan  and  built  them 
into  an  attic  which  they  erected  upon  the  arch  of  Isis, 
re-dedicating  the  conglomeration  as  the  arch  of  Con- 
stantine.  By  walking  around  and  inspecting  closely,  the 
reliefs  which  refer  to  Trajan  can  be  readily  distinguished 
from  those  of  Constantine,  as  they  are  representations 
of  his  victories  over  the  Dacians.  Over  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  street  from  the  Colosseum  and  a  few  hundred 
paces  northeast  of  it  we  come  to  a  cathedral  called  St. 
Pietro  in  Yincoli  (St.  Peter  in  Chains).  This  is  not  a 
large  cathedral  when  compared  to  St.  Peter's  and  some 
others  in  Rome,  but  it  is  handsomely  decorated  and 
contains  some  interesting  works  of  art. 

On  the  right  of  the  high  altar  is  the  famous  statue 
of  Moses  by  Michael  Angelo.  Two  twists  of  his  hair 
represent  horns.  Moses  is  represented  by  tradition  or 
some  writer  as  a  "horny  man,"  or  that  his  flesh  or 
muscle  was  hard  like  horn.  The  artist  in  this  statue 
carries  out  the  idea  in  a  literal  sense  and  makes  his 
statue  as  above  stated  ;  with  this  exception,  it  is  a  mag- 
nificent piece  of  work.  In  fact,  it  is  regarded  as 
Michael  Angelo' s  "  masterpiece  of  sculpture."  Here,  it 
is  said,  are  preserved  the  chains  with  which  St.  Peter 
was  bound,  hence  the  name  of  the  church.  Here  in  the 
confessional  built  by  Pope  Pius  IX.  are  the  tombs  of 
the  seven  Maccabees.  Here  may  be  seen  also  some 
beautiful  and  celebrated  paintings  by  the  old  masters. 
From  the  front  of  this  church,  by  taking  a  narrow  street 
leading  to  the  left,  we  soon  come  toan  entrance,  a  gate, 
on  our  left;  this  was  the  entrance  to  the  Emperor  N  ero's 


80  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

golden  house.  Reader,  let  me  here  give  you  a  short 
description  of  this  celebrated  house  as  handed  down  to 
us  by  historians,  that  you  may  have  a  more  correct  idea 
of  the  fabulous  wealth  and  extravagance  of  the  ancient 
Romans. 

"  Suetonius,  in  his  '  Life  of  Nero,'  says  Nero  com- 
pleted his  palace  by  continuing  it  from  the  Palatine  to 
the  Esquiline  hills,  calling  the  building  at  first  only 
'  the  house  of  passage  '  but  afterwards,  when  it  had 
been  destroyed  by  fire  and  restored  again,  he  gave  it 
the  name  of  his  '  golden  house.'  Of  its  dimensions 
and  furniture,  it  may  be  sufficient  to  say  this  much  : 
the  porch  was  so  high  that  there  stood  in  it  a  colossal 
statue  of  himself  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in 
height,  and  the  space  included  in  it  was  so  ample  that 
it  had  triple  porticoes  a  mile  in  length.  Within  the 
area  enclosed  was  a  lake  surrounded  with  buildings, 
which  had  the  appearance  of  a  city.  Within  this  area 
also  were  wheat-fields,  vineyards,  -pastures  and  woods 
containing  a  vast  number  of  animals  of  various  kinds, 
both  wild  and  tame.  In  other  parts  it  was  entirely 
overlaid  with  gold  and  adorned  with  jewels  and  mother- 
of-pearl.  The  supper-rooms  were  vaulted,  and  com- 
partments of  the  ceiling  inlaid  with  ivory  were  made 
to  revolve  and  scatter  flowers,  while  they  contained 
pipes  which  shed  perfumes  upon  the  guests.  The  chief 
banqueting  room  was  circular  and  revolved  perpetually 
night  and  day,  in  imitation  of  the  motion  of  the  celes- 
tial bodies."  Upon  the  dedication  of  this  magnificent 
house  Nero  said  in  approval  of  it  "that  he  had  now  a 
dwelling  fit  for  a  man  to  live  in."  Nothing  now 
remains  of  this  thing  of  beauty  and  folly  except  a  small 
part  of  the  original  pavement. 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  81 

Reader,  «we  will  now  visit  the  church  or  cathedral  of 
St.  Giovanni  in  Laterano,  "the  mother  and  head  of 
the  cathedral  churches  of  the  city  and  of  the  world." 
This  church  was  founded  by  Constantine,  and  takes  the 
name  of  Lateran,  from  its  occupying  the  site  of  the 
palace  of  Plautus  Lateranus,  the  senator  who  suffered 
under  Nero."  This  was  the  residence  of  the  popes 
from  the  time  of  Constantine  down  to  the  migration  to 
Avignon,  a  small  city  in  France  where  Clement  V.  took 
up  his  abode  in  1309,  and  where  the  popes  continued 
their  residences  until  1377,  when  Gregory  XI.  returned 
to  Rome.  The  old  palace  was  much  larger  than  the 
present,  and  included  the  sanctum  sanctorum  chapel. 
After  a  great  fire  in  1308  it  lay  in  ruins,  but  in  1586 
these  were  removed  and  the  new  palace  erected  by  order 
of  Sextus  V.  A  part  of  this  palace  was  set  apart  for 
the  heathen  and  Christian  antiquities  which  could  not 
be  put  in  the  Vatican  or  the  Captoline  museum  for  \l  • 
want  of  space.  Here  may  be  seen  many  beautiful 
works  of  art,  both  in  sculpture  and  painting.  But  it 
would  hardly  pay  the  visitor  to  leave  the  Vatican  or 
•Capitol  museum  to  visit  it.  This  splendid  church  con- 
tains many  chapels  with  their  altars  and  is  decorated 
with  many  celebrated  paintings,  statues,  and  some  fine 
mosaics,  the  Gothic  tabernacle  above  the  high  altar 
containing  the  sculptured  heads  of  St.  Paul  and  John. 
This  is  a  fine  piece  of  workmanship  of  the  14th  cen- 
tury. In  a  building  near  this  church  we  see  the  Scala 
sancta  (a  stairway  composed  of  twenty-eight  marble 
steps),  said  to  have  been  brought  from  Jerusalem  where 
it  formed  the  stairway  to  Pilate's  house,  by  St.  Helena, 
the  mother  of  Constantine.  The  Catholics  tell  you 
"  by  ascending  these  twenty-eight  steps  on  your  knees. 


82  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

saying  a  prayer  while  on  each  step,  a  thousand  years 
indulgence  or  exeuvption  from  purgatory  is  secured  to 
those  who  believe  it.  Unfortunately,  being  one  of  the 
incredulous,  I  could  not  avail  myself  of  this  liberal 
offer.  But  many,  yea,  thousands  upon  thousands  do 
believe  it,  for  the  steps  were  crowded  from  bottom  to 
top  with  the  "credulous,"  while  I  remained  there  a 
looker-on.  I  found  it  as  Dickens  said  :  "  The  sight 
was  ridiculous  in  the  absurd  incidents  inseparable  from 
it.  To  see  one  man  with  an  umbrella  unlawfully  hoist 
himself  with  it  from  stair  to  stair,  and  a  demure  old 
lady  of  fifty-five  looking  back  every  now  and  then  to 
assure  herself  that  her  legs  were  properly  disposed." 

Martin  Luther  had  reached  about  halfway  up  the 
ascent  of  this  stairway  when  he  suddenly  stood  up, 
turned  about  and  walked  down.  He  said  that  a  voice 
had  whispered  to  him  "  The  just  shall  live  by  faith." 

At  the  top  of  the  stairway  is  the  "  sancta  sanc- 
torum," a  room  which  is  only  open  to  his  Holiness  the 
Pope,  who  alone  can  officiate,  and  to  the  canons  of  the 
Lateran  for  adoration  on  Palm  Sunday.  As  I  came 
out  of  this  church  I  saw  posted  on  one  of  the  stone 
columns  of  the  door  a  notice  of  indulgences  for  sale 
within.  So  many  years  indulgence  for  such  and  such 
prices.  Now,  if  I  believed  in  the  doctrine  of  purgatory 
as  do  the  Catholics,  and  did  I  further  believe  that 
exemption  from  the  inconveniences  and  unpleasant- 
ness of  a  habitation  in  that  unhealthy  region  they  call 
purgatory  could  be  purchased  so  easily  from  the  boss 
agent,  I  would  make  a  strong  effort  to  take  a  little 
money  with  me  when  I  left  this  world  to  see  if  I  could 
not  drive  a  better  bargain  with  his  Satanic  Majesty  or 


AND   THE   HOLT    LAND.  83 

whosoever  has  a  title  to  that  domain,  than  with  his 
agents  here. 

Here  on  a  certain  occasion,  that  is,  on  the  feast  of 
the  Assumption,  the  sacred  picture  "  Acheirotopeton  " 
(this  long  unpronounceable  word  meaning,  "made 
without  hands")  is  exposed  to  view.  "The outline  of 
this  picture  is  said  to  have  been  drawn  by  St.  Luke,  and 
before  he  commenced  applying  the  coloring  or  filling 
it  in  it  was  found  finished  by  invisible  hands." 

Now,  reader,  if  you  make  up  your  mind  to  believe  all 
the  miraculous  stories  which  were  told  me  and  which 
I  must  tell  you,  well  and  good ;  but  if,  on  the  other 
hand,  you  prove  to  be  one  of  the  incredulous  or  skepti- 
cal, as  I  confess  I  was,  you  must  take  them  for  what 
they  are  worth  and  deplore  the  ignorance,  superstition, 
and  idolatry  which  shroud  and  darken  the  intellectual 
and  moral  being  of  this  priest-ridden  people.  They 
are  made  to  believe  that  they  are  not  capacitated 
to  read  and  understand  the  plain  simple  truths  of  the 
Bible,  consequently  are  not  allowed  to  read  it  for  them- 
selves, but  must  take  it  second-hand.  They  must 
believe,  teach,  and  practice  what  a  designing  priest- 
hood tells  them  it  teaches,  and  be  content  therewith. 
I  am  sure  if  I  could  believe  that  by  going  up  twenty- 
eight  or  even  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  stone 
stairsteps  on  my  knees  I  could  procure  exemption  from 
purgatory  or  any  other  physical  suffering  for  a  period 
of  one  thousand  years,  or  even  half  that  time,  I  would 
start  at  once  and  go  back  to  Home.  I  would  willingly 
undergo  another  five  or  ten  days  of  seasickness,  and 
risk  the  peril  of  storms  at  sea,  and  be  found  climbing 
those  steps  as  soon  as  I  reached  the  city.  But,  reader, 
I  propose  to  believe  or  disbelieve  as  I  choose  the 


84  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

wonderful  stories  told  me  in  regard  to  many  things 
and  places  shown  me  while  traveling  through  these 
countries  ;  and  I  allow  you  and  every  other  reader  of 
this  book  the  same  privilege.  I  only  give  them  to  you 
or  tell  them  to  you  as  they  were  told  to  me.  It  will 
teach  you  what  one  hundred  and  seventy  millions  of 
human  beings  say,  and  what  they  believe,  and  what 
their  leaders  or  spiritual  advisers  (priests)  teach  them 
to  be  sacred  truths. 

Near  the  Lateran  church  is  a  piazza  or  open  square, 
in  the  center  of  which  is  an  obelisk  of  red  granite^ 
originally  erected  in  front  of  the  temple  of  the  sun  at 
Thebes,  in  upper  Egypt,  by  King  Thothmosis  III.,  B. 
C.  1500.  It  was  brought  from  Thebes  by  Constantino 
in  357  and  was  first  erected  at  the  circus  Maximus.  In 
1587  it  was  found  there  in  three  pieces,  and  in  1588 
was  erected  oji  its  present  site.  This  is  the  largest 
obelisk  known,  being  one  hundred  and  four  feet  in 
height,  or  with  the  pedestal  one  hundred  and  fifty-three 
feet,  and  weighing  about  six  hundred  tons.  From  this 
plaza  we  can  enter  the  baptistry  ;  this  was  for  a  long 
time  the  only  baptistry  in  Rome.  Tradition  says  Con- 
stantine  was  baptized  here  in  324.  Other  baptisteries 
and  oratories  and  other  buildings  now  surround  the 
plaza. 

I  now  ask  you  to  go  with  me  to  a  favorite  spot  of 
Shell's,  of  which  he  wrote,  "  Among  the  flowering 
glades  and  thickets  of  odoriferous  blossoming  trees 
which  are  extended  in  ever  winding  labyrinths  upon  its 
immense  platforms  and  dizzy  arches  suspended  in  air." 
So  Shelley  wrote  and  so  it  was  when  he  wrote ;  but, 
alas !  how  changed.  "  From  the  beautiful  grounds 
which  once  surrounded  the  public  baths  of  Caracalla, 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  85 

flowering  trees  have  been  plucked  up,  and  even  the  wild 
flowers  and  verdure  have  been  scraped  from  the  walls, 
now  to  a  great  extent  in  ruins,  bringing  to  light,  it  is 
true,  the  beautiful  mosaic  pavements,  and  enabling  the 
visitor  to  form  a  more  correct  idea  of  the  magnitude  and 
beauty  of  this  once  magnificent  and  wonderful  edifice. 
These  glorious  ruins  standing  intact  before  us  display 
in  the  clearest  and  most  complete  manner  the  skeleton 
of  this  once  wonderful  structure."  These  public  baths 
were  begun  by  the  Emperor  Caracalla,  a  cruel,  heart- 
less despot  whom  the  historian  Dio  Cassius  informs  us 
had  his  own  brother  Geta  assassinated,  not  even  sparing 
his  brother's  children,  in  order  to  become  sole  Emperor 
of  Rome.  He  was  made  Emperor  A.  D.  211,  and 
began  the  building  of  the  baths  called  after  him  in 
212.  The  bath-rooms  covered  an  area  seventeen  hun- 
dred and  twenty  feet  in  length,  and  three  hundred  and 
seventy-five  feet  in  width.  In  the  center  was  a  large 
rotunda  capable  of  accommodating  with  a  swimming 
bath  sixteen  hundred  persons  at  a  time.  This  large  room 
was  paved  with  mosaic  and  is  pretty  even  now. 
Around  and  connecting  with  the  rotunda  was  a  series 
of  chambers  in  which  the  bathers  were  oiled,  sham- 
pooed, etc.  Beyond  these  was  a  grand  hall  enclosed 
with  pillars  and  a  portico,  in  which  were  performed 
the  athletic  exercises.  Adjoining  this  were  the  ladies 
bath-rooms.  On  one  side  of  the  athletic  hall  was  a  fine 
art  gallery.  In  another  direction  we  find  another 
large  warm  bath-room,  and  adjoining  this  at  the  cor- 
ners, four  hot  bath-rooms.  In  the  sweating  room  the 
hot  air  was  let  in  underneath  a  false  floor  through  pip- 
ing. The  mosaic  floor  in  the  rotunda  or  swimming  room 
has  sunk  down  considerably,  but  with  this  exception 


86  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

the  old  ruins  are  in  a  fairly  good  state  of  preservation 
and  corn  pares  throughout  with  the  partslhavedescribed. 
This  immense  thermae  was  surrounded  by  pleasure 
grounds,  gardens  of  rich  foilage,  flowers,  porticoes, 
summer  houses,  etc. ;  inclosing  an  area  of  one  hundred 
and  forty  thousand  square  yards,  or  nearly  a  mile 
square.  The  ruins  of  some  of  these  grand  colossal  old 
structures  look  more  like  the  works  of  nature  than  the 
works  of  man,  and  are  indices  of  what  proud  old  Home 
was  in  the  days  of  her  glory  and  renown.  Adjacent 
to  the  old  Roman  forum,  which  was  near  the  middle  of 
the  city,  a  prison  was  built  (Livy  says)  by  Ancus 
Martius  seven  hundred  and  fifty  years  before  Christ, 
"  in  order,"  he  says,  "  to  suppress  by  terror  the  boldness 
which  the  vicious  assumed  from  hence,  and  which 
gained  ground  continually."  Servius  Tullius  added  a 
lower  cell  called  Tullianum,  which  was  nineteen 
feet  long,  nine  feet  wide,  and  six  and  a  half  feet  in 
height.  Prisoners  who  were  to  be  starved  to  death 
or  to  be  strangled  were  "  cast  into  prison "  by  being 
thrust  down  into  the  lower  prison  through  an  aperture 
or  central  hole  in  the  floor  from  the  prison  above. 
These  prisons,  for  they  were  increased  until  they 
were  many  in  number,  were  hewn  in  the  solid  rock 
which  underlies  the  city,  as  we  dig  or  hew  out  cisterns. 
I  will  now  take  the  reader  to  one  of  these,  which  we 
will  find  under  the  chapel  of  the  Crucifixion,  in  the 
church  of  St.  Griuseppe-dei-Falegnami,  for  the  church 
is  built  partly  over  the  prison.  From  the  sacristy  a 
flight  o£  modern  stone  steps  leads  down  into  the  lower 
cell.  This  is  the  prison  in  which  we  are  told  Sts.  Peter 
and  Paul  were  chained  while  prisoners  in  Rome.  Near 
the  top  of  the  stairway  you  see  an  indentation  in  the 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  87 

tufa  stone  carefully  guarded  by  iron  bars,  which  they 
say  was  caused  by  the  jailor  beating  Peter's  face  against 
the  rock.  Poor  Peter,  he  must  have  had  a  hard  face 
indeed,  as  bard  as  he  is  represented  as  having  in  the 
pagan  god,  called  his  statue,  of  which  I  have  spoken. 
In  the  center  of  this  cell  there  is  a  spring  or  shallow 
well.  The  Roman  Catholic  tradition  is  that  this  fount- 
ain miraculously  sprung  up  here  when  Saints  Peter 
and  Paul  had  converted  their  jailors,  in  order  that  they 
mi-ffht  have  water  with  which  to  baptize  them.  They 
also  show  you  the  stone  pillar  to  which  they  are  said 
to  have  been  chained.  On  one  side  of  this  prison, 
which  is  a  square  room  hewn  in  the  rock,  is  a  closed 
doorway  which  evidently  communicated  with  another 
prison.  Communicating  with  these  prisons  is  an  under- 
ground passage  leading  into  the  Cloaca  Maxima  (large 
sewer),  through  which  the  bodies  of  the  dead  prisoners 
were  dragged  to  be  washed  into  the  Tiber. 

We  will  now  go  out  on  the  Appian  way,  passing 
through  the  central  opening  under  the  arch  of  Con- 
stantine,  six  miles  to  the  church  of  St.  Sebastian.  St. 
Sebastian  was  one  of  the  early  Christian  martyrs.  It 
is  said  that  he  secluded  himself  in  a  cloister,  having 
only  a  small  window  through  which  he  was  fed  by  his 
friends,  with  no  furniture  or  article  of  any  kind  in  the 
room  except  a  wooden  cross.  After  two  years  of 
seclusion,  penance  and  prayers,  it  is  said  the  "  cross 
spoke  to  him."  Hence  he  was  canonized  by  the 
Roman  Catholic  church.  St.  Sebastian  was  martyred 
by  being  shot  to  death  by  archers.  The  church,  six 
miles  from  Rome  on  the  Appian  way,  was  built  to  his 
honor  and  memory,  where  his  remains  are  interred. 
Under  the  altar  of  this  church  you  are  shown  a  slab  of 


88  TRAVELS   IN.  EGYPT 

stone  with  foot-prints  chiseled  into  the  stone  the  depth 
of  half  an  inch.  "We  are  told  St.  Peter,  becoming 
alarmed  at  the  way  things  were  going  in  Rome,  deter- 
mined to  leave  there  and  escaped  from  the  city  at  night. 
When  he  had  reached  this  point  on  his  journey  he  was 
met  by  the  Savior,  and  commanded  to  return  to  Rome 
and  remain  with  Paul.  It  is  said  these  foot-prints 
were  made  by  the  Savior  while  standing  in  front  of 
Peter  in  the  Appian  way.  The  tracks  shown  in  the 
slab  of  stone,  which  is  placed  securely  in  a  glass  case 
beneath  the  altar,  looks  as  if  the  pattern  given  to  the 
stone  mason  was  that  of  the  big  foot  of  a  negro  or  of 
an  Italian  priest. 

Had  I  taken  you  to  the  church  of  St.  Januarius 
while  at  Naples  you  would  have  been  shown,  for  a 
consideration,  some  of  the  blood  of  the  martyr,  which 
they  say  miraculously  liquefies  three  times  a  year;  that 
is,  on  the  first  Sunday  in  May,  September  19th,  and 
December  16th,  and  for  several  successive  days. 
The  time  required  for  the  liquefaction  of  the  blood, 
which  is  kept  in  a  vial,  depends  upon  the  readiness  to 
contribute  and  the  amount  of  money  contributed  by 
the  excited  multitudes  which  always  fill  the  commo- 
dious church  to  overflowing  on  these  occasions.  The 
poor  ignorant  dupes  are  made  to  believe  it  a  veritable 
miracle.  Here,  too,  they  show  you  the  skeleton  of  a 
child  who  I  suppose  was  three  or  four  months  old. 
They  say  it  was  asked  "  How  many  is  God  ?  "  and  the 
little  innocent  held  up  three  fingers,  thereby  indicating 
that  God  is  triune,  for  which  it  was  'martyred.  Had 
St.  Januarius  known  how  much  money  his  blood  would 
be  the  means  of  bringing  his  church  the  presumption 
is  he  would  have  died  better  satisfied. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND. 


CHAPTER  V. 

I  "WAS  told  that  there  were  as  many  as  three  hundred 
or  three  hundred  and  fifty  Roman  Catholic  churches 
in  the  city  of  Rome,  a  city  of  three  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  inhabitants.  These  churches  cost  from  half 
a  million  to  several  million  of  dollars  each.  The  com- 
mon people  of  Italy  are  extremely  poor,  and  for  the 
most  part  very  illiterate. 

The  landscape  scenery  of  Italy  is  picturesque  and 
beautiful.  The  soil  is  very  productive,  but  the  peninsula 
is  too  small  to  give  employment  to  its  overcrowded  popu- 
lation, hence  the  offscouring  of  this  country  is 
being  poured  into  America  and  other  new  countries. 

When  Paul  came  to  Rome,  he  came  from  Melita 
(Malta)  in  an  Alexandrian  ship  bearing  an  ensign  of 
"Castor  and  Pollux,"  and  landed  at  Puteoli,  where  he 
found  some  brethren  who  desired  him  to  remain  for  a 
few  days  with  them.  It  is  not  clear,  however,  whether 
he  tarried  with  them  or  not.  He  says :  "  And  from 
thence  when  the  brethren  heard  of  us  they  came  to 
meet  us  as  far  as  the  Appii  Forum."  Forum  Appii  was 
a  town  of  Volsci,  beyond  Ariccia,  forty -three  miles 
from  Rome.  It  is  mentioned  by  Horace  in  describing 
his  journey  to  Brindisi  as,  "  stuifed  with  sailors  and 
surly  landlords."  It  was  there  that  the  canal  passed 
through  to  the  Pontine  marshes.  "Suetonius"  tells  us 
that  "  Claudius  Drusus  erected  a  statue  of  himself 
wearing  a  crown,  at  Appii  Forum."  From  the  Appii 
Forum  it  is  thirty -four  miles  to  the  three  taverns  or 
three  shops.  It  was  a  "mutatio"  or  halting  place. 


90  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

which  was  nine  miles  from  Rome.  The  Emperor  Alex- 
ander Severus  was  buried  here.  The  railway  from 
Rome  toBrindusium  crosses  the  old  Appian  way  a  mile 
further  on,  that  is,  ten  miles  from  the  city.  It  will  be 
observed  from  the  above  that  some  of  Paul's  brethren 
went  as  far  as  forty-three  miles  out  on  the  Appian  way 
to  meet  him,  and  others  nine  miles,  that  is,  to  the  Tres 
TabernaB  ( three  taverns ).  This  Appian  way  was  the 
great  southern  road  from  Rome.  It  led  through  Capua 
to  Brindusium,  now  called  Brindisi,  which,  in  the  old 
days,  as  now,  was  the  port  for  the  East.  The  railroad 
from  Rome  to  Brindisi  runs  over  very  nearly  the  same 
ground  that  this  old  road  did.  It  was  first  made  a 
regular  roadway  312  B.  C.  Some  writers  say,  how- 
ever, that  there  was  a  roadway  going  as  far  as  Capua 
before  Appius  Claudius  built  the  Appian  way.  It  was 
against  the  law  for  the  Romans  to  bury  their  dead 
within  the  city  walls,  and  when  the  privilege  was 
granted  in  any  individual  case  it  was  regarded  as  a 
great  honor.  It  was  their  custom,  therefore,  to  bury 
their  dead  on  either  side  of  the  principal  roads  leading 
from  the  city.  Cicero  says  :  "  When  thou  hast  gone 
out  of  the  Capua  gate  and  beholdest  the  sepulchers  of 
the  Calatini,  of  the  Scipios,  of  the  Servilii  and  of  the 
Metelli,  canst  thou  deem  the  buried  inmates 
wretched  ?  "  The  Appian  way  was  lined  with  temples, 
villas  and  tombs  for  miles  out  of  the  city  on  both 
sides. 

St.  Paul  came  to  Rome  in  62  A.  D.  and  on  the  9th 
of  June,  64,  just  two  years,  or  within  a  few  days  of 
that  time,  was  crucified  with  Peter.  At  least  the  Cath- 
olics claim  that  Peter  was  crucified  at  the  same  time 
and  place. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND!  91 

In  the  history  of  the  Emperor  Nero  we  learn  that  in 
the  tenth  year  of  his  reign,  A.  D.  64,  Rome  was 
almost  wholly  destroyed  by  fire.  Of  the  fourteen  dis- 
tricts into  which  the  city  was  divided, four  only  remained 
entire.  The  fire  originated  at  that  part  of  the  circus 
which  was  contiguous  to  the  Palatine  and  Coelian  hills, 
and  raged  with  the  greatest  fury  for  six  days  and 
seven  nights,  and  after  it  was  thought  to  have  been 
extinguished  it  burst  forth  again  and  continued  for 
three  days  longer.  Nero  appears  to  have  acted  on 
this  occasion  with  the  greatest  liberality  and  kindness. 
The  city  was  supplied  with  provisions  at  a  very  moder- 
ate price,  and  the  imperial  gardens  were  thrown  open 
to  the  sufferers  and  buildings  erected  for  their  acccom- 
modation.  But  these  acts  of  humanity  and  benevo- 
lence were  insufficient  to  screen  him  from  the  popular 
suspicion.  It  was  generally  believed  that  he  had  set  fire 
to  the  city  himself  and  some  one  reported  that  he  had 
ascended  to  the  top  of  a  high  tower  in  order  to  witness 
the  conflagration,  where  he  amused  himself  by  singing 
the  "  Destruction  of  Troy.  "  Nero's  guilt,  indeed,  is 
expressly  asserted  by  Suetonius  and  Dio  Cassius.  Taci- 
tus, however,  says  he  was  -not  able  to  determine  the 
truth  of  the  accusation.  In  order,  however,  to  remove 
the  suspicion  of  the  people,  Nero  spread  a  report 
that  the  Christians  were  the  authors  of  the  fire,  and 
numbers  of  them  accordingly  were  seized  and  put  to 
death;  their  execution  serving  as  an  amusement  for 
the  people.  Now,  reader,  listen  to  the  cruelty  of  this 
brute  Nero  who  had  his  brother  assassinated  in  his 
mother's  arms,  and  afterwards  consented  to  his 
mother's  death. 

Some  of  these  Christians  were  covered  with  skins  of 


92  *  TRA.VELS   IN   EGYPT 

wild  beasts  and  torn  to  pieces  by  dogs,  others  were 
crucified,  and  some  were  smeared  with  pitch  and  other 
combustible  materials  and  burned  in  the  imperial 
gardens  in  the  night.  "  Whence,"  says  "the  historian, 
"  pity  arose  for  the  guilty  though  they  deserved  the 
severest  punishment,  since  they  were  put  to  death  not 
for  the  public  good,  but  to  gratify  the  cruelty  of  a 
single  man." 

I  do  not  stop  here  to  argue  the  case  of  Nero's  guilt 
or  innocence.  For,  whether  guilty  or  not  guilty  of 
the  accusation,  his  conduct  in  charging  others  with  a 
crime  of  which  they  were  certainly  innocent  and  hav- 
ing them  put  to  a  cruel,  shameful  death,  simply  to 
screen  himself  from  suspicion,  showed  a  want  of  man- 
hood and  a  baseness  in  keeping  with  his  whole  life. 
This  circumstance  in  all  probability  led  to  the  Apostle 
Paul's  condemnation  and  crucifixion.  For  prior  to 
this  it  is  evident  that  from  an  expression  in  his  letter 
to  Philemon  where  he  says,  "  but  withal  prepare  me 
also  a  lodging,  for  I  trust  that  through  your  prayers  I 
shall  be  given  unto  you,"  that  he  expected  to  be 
acquitted,  knowing  full  well  that  as  a  Roman  subject  he 
had  done  nothing  worthy  of  death.  Some  who  have 
searched  and  brought  all  the  light  possible  to  bear  upon 
this  event  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  St.  Paul 
had  stood  his  trial  before  Nero  and  had  been  acquitted 
of  the  matters  whereof  he  was  accused  by  the  Jews, 
and  that  he  fell  an  early  victim  to  the  Neronean  per- 
secution inaugurated  immediately  after  the  burning  of 
Rome. 

The  burning  of  Rome  has  connected  the  name  of  this 
emperor  with  Christianity  for  all  time  to  come.  This 
event  precipitated  the  era  of  martyrdom.  Whether 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  93 

Nero  was  guilty  of  causing  that  great  conflagration  or 
not,  it  is  certain  he  was  suspected  of  it  by  his  contem- 
poraries and  accused  of  it  by  the  excited,  impoverished, 
houseless  and  desperate  multitude.  "  Historians  agree 
that  his  head  had  for  years  been  full  of  the  images  of 
Haming  cities,"  that  he  used  to  say  that  Priam  was  to 
be  congratulated  on  having  seen  the  ruins  of  Troy.  It 
is  further  said  of  him  that  just  before  his  flight  from 
the  city,  he  meditated  setting  fire  to  Rome  again.  It 
was  said  "  that  when  some  one  had  told  him  how  Gaius 
used  to  quote  the  phrase  of  Euripides,  "  When  I  am  dead 
sink  the  whole  earth  in  flames,"  he  replied,  "  Nay,  but 
while  I  live."  It  seems  that  Rome,  like  all  oriental 
cities  at  that  day,  had  been  built  up  with  narrow,  crooked 
streets,  and  it  was  said  that  Nero  wished  to  destroy  it 
that  he  might  have  it  rebuilt  with  wider  and  straighter 
streets  and  more  magnificent  houses,  that  he  might 
claim  the  privilege  of  changing  its  name  from  Rome  to 
Neropolis  (whether  this  be  true  or  not  I  know  not).  Is 
it  not  strange  to  what  depths  of  crime  and  infamy 
men's  ambition  will  sometimes  lead  them  ? 

A  few  miles  out  of  the  city  on  the  Appian  way  we 
visited  one  of  fifty  or  more  catacombs  which  surround 
the  city.  These  singular  burying  passages  and  cham- 
bers are  usually  built  of  tufa.  They  consist  of  long, 
narrow  underground  galleries  cut  with  moderate  regu- 
larity, some  three  feet  in  width,  straight  down  into  the 
earth.  The  dead  are  buried  in  vaults  cut  in  the  sides 
of  the  wall.  These  galleries  are  occasionally  widened 
out  into  chambers,  which  are  used  for  family  burial 
places.  These  chambers  belong  to  certain  families,  and 
here  we  generally  find  an  altar  where  religious  services 
are  held  "for  the  dead."  The  corridors  running  from 


94:  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

chamber  to  chamber  are  used  for  the  burial  of  the 
poor.  When  the  sides  of  the  corridor  had  been  tilled 
in  with  the  bodies  of  the  dead,  it  is  cut  deeper  and  the 
sides  again  filled  and  then  again  sunk  deeper  and  so  on 
until  many  of.  them  reach  a  depth  of  thirty  or  forty 
feet.  Others  are  cut  at  right  angles  to  these,  making  a 
perfect  checkerboard  of  corridors  and  chambers  far 
down  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth  ;  the  roofs  of  these 
corridors  and  chambers  being  left  far  enough  below  the 
surface  of  the  earth  to  be  self-supporting.  I  saw  many 
bible  scenes  rudely  painted  and  frescoed  on  the  walls  of 
these  corridors,  and  on  the  slabs  of  stone  with  which 
the  graves  or  lengthwise  receptacles  for  the  bodies  had 
been  closed.  After  permission  was  granted  to  chris- 
tians  to  bury  their  dead  in  their  churches,  very  many 
bodies  were  removed  from  the  catacombs  and  trans- 
ferred to  the  churches.  In  making  this  transfer,  the 
Catholics  claim  in  many  instances  miraculous  preserva- 
tion of  bodies  from  decay  and  decomposition,  and  other 
miraculous  interventions  of  providence  in  connection 
with  the  dead,  especially  the  martyred  Christians.  To 
go  down  thirty  or  forty  feet  into  the  earth,  and  wander 
along  these  narrow  passages,  lined  on  both  sides  with 
the  remains  of  the  long  past  dead,  the  pale  flickering 
light  of  a  few  tapers  falling  here  and  there  on  ghastly 
skeletons,  make  one  realize  that  he  is  walking  the 
streets  of  what  in  all  reality  is  a  "  city  of  the  dead." 
These  singular  cities  of  the  dead  are  entered  by  a 
long  flight  of  stone  steps  which  leads  you  to  the  bottom 
of  these  deep  galleries,  where  the  remains  of  thousands 
of  silent  dead  sleep  in  their  lonely,  gloomy  cells,  until 
called  forth  on  the  great  day  of  the  resurrection. 

These  catacombs  began  to  be  formed  at  the  beginning 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  95 

of  the  third  century,  and  it  is  said  that  they  were  used  as 
places  of  refuge  by  the  Christians  during  the  inhuman 
persecutions  through  which  they  passed  in  the  early 
days  of  Christianity.  We  will  now  visit  the  cemetery 
and  church  of  the  Capuchins,  an  order  of  monks.  But 
if  you  are  afraid  of  dead  men's  bones,  I  advise  you  not 
to  go,  as  you  will  see  enough  bones  here  to  supply  a 
button  factory  for  a  decade  of  years.  Doctors  are  not 
afraid  of  dead  men's  bones ;  therefore,  I  did  not  hes- 
itate to  make  a  visit  to  this  curious  monastery.  The 
most  interesting  part,  the  cemetery,  is  beneath  the 
church  and  entirely  above  ground,  and  lighted  by  a  row 
of  iron-grated  windows  without  glass.  A  corridor  runs 
along  beside  these  windows  and  gives  access  to  three 
or  four  vaulted  recesses  or  chapels  of  considerable 
breadth  and  height,  the  floors  of  which  are  consecrated 
earth  brought  from  Jerusalem. 

"  When  one  of  this  order  of  monks  dies,  it  has  been 
their  custom  from  time  immemorial  to  take  the  longest 
buried  skeleton  out  of  the  oldest  grave  and  lay  the 
newest  slumberer  therein."  The  brotherhood  regard 
it  a  precious  privilege  to  be  allowed  to  rest  after  death 
in  this  holy  ground ;  thus  each  of  the  good  friars  in 
turn  enjoy  the  luxury  of  a  consecrated  bed.  This  is 
attended,  however,  with  one  serious  drawback,  that  is, 
he  may  have  to  get  up  long  before  daybreak  to  give  his 
bed  to  some  other  fellow."  •  The  arrangement  of  the 
unearthed  skeletons  strikes  the  visitor  with  peculiar 
interest  and  astonishment.  "  The  arched  and  vaulted 
walls  of  the  burial  recesses  or  rooms  are  supported  by 
large  pillars  and  pilasters  made  of  the  thigh  and  skulls 
of  these  prematurely  resurrected  skeletons.  In  fact, 
the  entire  structure  has  the  appearance  of  being  made 


96  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

of  bones.  The  knobs  and  embossed  ornaments  of  this 
strange  architecture  are  represented  by  the  vertibrae 
of  the  spine, and  the  more  delicate  artistic  decorations  by 
the  small  bones  of  the  hands,\vrists  and  ankles."  While 
to  an  ordinary  visitor  these  grotesque  rooms  look  ugly 
and  to  a  degree  repulsive  to  an  old  physician,  how- 
ever, they  are  not  without  interest,  as  they  excite  in 
him  an  admiration  for  the  ingenuity  shown,  and  the 
artistic  success  accomplished  in  this  queer  way.  On 
some  of  the  skulls  we  see  inscriptions  setting  forth  the 
monks  to  whom  they  belong,  when  and  where  they 
died,  etc.  The  greater  number  of  the  skulls  are  bare, 
but  you  see  some  with  patches  of  skin  and  hair  on 
them,  and  some  the  entire  skin  and  hair  has  withstood 
the  "moulding  influence  of  time  and  earth  damps." 
On  these  the  skin  is  yellow,  dry  and  parched,  which 
makes  the  owner  look  hideously  repulsive.  In  the  side 
walls  of  this  curious  place  are  niches  in  which  are 
placed  skeletons  of  monks,  some  standing,  others  sit- 
ting, dressed  in  the  brown  habits  they  wore  in  life  with 
hoods  on  their  heads.  "  One  reverent  father  has  his 
huge  mouth  wide  open,  and  looks  as  if  he  had  died  in 
the  midst  of  a  tremendous  howl  which  he  may  have 
expected  to  reverberate  and  re-echo  through  vast 
eternity."  As  a  general  thing,  however,  these  fleshless, 
frocked,  and  hooded  reverend  paters  seemed  to  take  a 
more  cheerful  view  of  the.  situation,  and  grinned  with 
"  ghastly  smiles "  at  the  visitor  as  though  it  was  all  a 
joke.  I  am  glad  they  are  able  to  look  upon  this  novel 
procedure  as  they  seem  to  do,  for  I  am  sure  if  they  are 
satisfied  others  ought  not  to  complain.  The  hungry 
thousands  around  them  lose  nothing  by  their  continued 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  97 

show  of  existence.  Their  angular,  hollow,  bare-boned 
frames  show  that  they  are  not  consumers  at  least. 

Perhaps  records  have  been  kept  and  preserved,  and 
the  Capuchin  monks  we  find  here  may  know  just 
how  many  dead  comrades  have  contributed  their 
skeletons,  and  through  just  how  many  years  they  have 
been  thus  liberal  to  build  up  these  "  great  arches  of 
mortality  "  it  should  be  interesting  to  know.  But  I 
guess  it  is  one  of  the  things  they  do  not  make  public, 
and  we  shall  never  know.  I  would  like  to  know,  how- 
ever, all  the  same,  but  as  I  don't  belong  to  the  order 
and  have  no -aspirations  to  have  the  framework  or  bony 
parts  of  my  body  dressed  up  like  death  with  a  night- 
gown and  cap,  to  be  looked  at  and  commented  on  by 
the  curious,  I  suppose  it  is  one  of  the  many  things  I 
shall  die  ignorant  of. 

Before  leaving  Rome  I  ask  the  reader  to  go  with  me 
to  the  church  of  St.  Paul,  or  the  chapel  of  Sts.  Peter 
and  Paul.  A  relief  over  the  door  represents  these  two 
c.postles  taking  leave  of  each  other.  The  superscription 
says :  "  In  this  place  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul  separated  on 
their  way  to  martyrdom.  And  Paul  said  to  Peter. 
'  Peace  be  with  thee,  foundation  of  the  church,  shepherd 
of  the  flock  of  Christ.'  And  Peter  said  to  Paul,  '  Go 
in  peace,  preacher  of  good  tidings,  and  guide  of  the 
salvation  of  the  just.' ' 

"  The  first  church  built  by  Constantine  to  commemo- 
rate the  martyrdom  of  St.  Paul  was  destroyed  by  fire 
July  15,  1823.  Its  restoration  was  immediately  com- 
menced and  it  was  reopened  in  1854  by  Pio  Nono."  It 
is  one  of  the  finest  churches  in  Rome.  You  can  not 
help  being  charmed  with  its  beauty.  "  It  is  one  vast 
marble  hall,  three  hundred  and  ninety-six  feet  long  and 


98  TKAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

two  hundred  and  twenty  feet  wide  and  one  hundred  in 
height.  The  plan  and  dimensions  of  the  present  building 
are  about  the  same  as  the  original.  Eighty  corinthian 
columns  forming  the  nave  are  reflected  in  the  marble 
pavement.  A  grand  triumphal  arch  separates  the  nave 
from  the  transept."  On  either  side  are  statues  of  Sts. 
Peter  and  Paul.  Around  the  church  above  the  pillars 
are  portraits  of  the  popes  in  mosaic.  The  altar  canopy 
is  supported  by  four  magnificent  alabaster  columns 
given  the  church  by  Mahomet  Ali,  Pasha  of  Egypt. 
The  base  of  the  pillars  supporting  the  altar  canopy,  and 
the  altars  at  each  end  of  the  transept,  are  malachite 
given  the  church  by  the  Czar  of  Russia.  The  front  of 
the  church,  which  is  toward  the  Tiber,  was  uncovered 
but  a  short  time  before  I  saw  it.  The  front  is  of  beau- 
tiful mosaic,  which  has  taken  thirteen  years  to  complete, 
and  is  said  to  be  the  finest  production  of  the  Vatican 
manufactory.  The  mosaic  in  the  gable  represents 
various  scriptural  scenes.  A  rock  occupies  the  center, 
from  which  flow  the  four  rivers  of  the  Apocalypse.  On 
the  summit  of  the  rock  is  the  lamb  supporting  the  cross. 
The  cities  of  Jerusalem  and  Bethlehem  are  on  each  side 
of  the  rock,  whilst  flocks  of  sheep  are  seen  between 
palm  trees,  said  to  be  symbolic  of  the  apostolic  college. 
Below  these  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel  and  Daniel 
typify  the  Old  Testament.  The  whole  triangle  of  the 
gable  is  beautifully  bordered  with  the  same  mosaic 
work  representing  fruit,  flowers,  foliage,  etc.  Reader, 
does  the  wealth  bestowed  upon  these  cathedrals,  their 
magnificence  and  splendor,  seem  to  you  as  it  did  to  ma 
to  give  an  air  of  respectability  to  the  superstitious, 
idolatrous,  ritualistic  worship  conducted  within  them? 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  99 

"  Prudentius,"  who  saw  the  original  church  in  its 
glory,  described  it  thus : 

"  Imperial  splendor  all  the  roof  adorns, 
Whose  vaults  a  monarch  built  to  God,  and  graced 
With  golden  pomp,  the  vast  circumference. 
Willi  gold  the  beams  lie  covered,  that  within 
The  light  might  circulate  the  beams  of  morn. 
Beneath  the  glittering  ceiling  pillars  stood 
Of  Parian  stone,  in  fourfold  ranks  disposed; 
Each  curving  arch  with  glass  of  various  dye 
Was  decked.     So  shines  with  flowers  the  painted  mead 
In  spring's  prolific  day." 

This  description  applies  with  equal  truth  and  precis- 
ion to  the  present  grand  and  beautiful  building. 

You  had  as  well  be  singing  psalms  to  a  dead  horse 
as  to  preach  Protestantism  to  these  Catholics.  The 
Catholics  are  far  more  successful  in  making  proselytes 
from  the  ranks  of  Protestantism  than  we  Protestants 
are  in  making  proselytes  from  their  ranks.  And  why  ? 
The  reason  of  this  is  obvious.  First,  they  claim  their 
system  of  religion  to  be  "  Christianity,"  and  it  is  not 
often  that  you  can  persuade  men  to  forsake  one  Chris- 
tianity for  another.  The  second  reason  I  give  ris,  that  Pro- 
testants furnish  them  the  material  out  of  which  to  make 
Catholics  by  patronizing  their  institutions.  "We  give 
them  control  of  our  children  and  they  sow  the  seeds  of 
their  ritualistic  system  of  religion  in  their  young,  vig- 
orous, fertile  brains  which  grow  with  their  growth  and 
in  due  time  brings  forth  an  abundant  harvest.  When 
I  hear  a  Protestant  religionist  censuring  or  abusing  the 
Catholics,  and  at  the  same  time  contributing  his  means 
to  assist  them  in  building  up  their  institutions,  if  not 
directly  patronizing  them,  it  reminds  me  of  the  poor 
inebriate  cursing  the  whisky  that  makes  him  drunk. 

I  was  in  Rome  during  Easter  week.  These  immense 
cathedrals  were  crowded  day  and  night.  At  the 


100  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

request  of  old  brother  Taylor,  a  Baptist  missionary, 
from  whose  church  we  were  returning  one  night,  I  and 
one  of  the  ladies  of  our  company  went  into  one  of  the 
three  or  four  hundred  Catholic  churches  which  adorn 
that  city.  The  crowd  and  jam  was  so  great  that  we 
were  glad  to  get  out  alive.  Our  brother  Taylor  whom, 
I  am  informed,  the  Baptists  have  kept  in  that  Catholic 
city  for  the  past  fifteen  years,  has  a  little  mission 
church  there.  I  heard  the  then  pastor  of  the  church, 
a  brother  Eachetto,  preach  a  sermon  in  Italian  to  a  very 
small  congregation,  including  the  families  of  brothers 
Taylor  and  Eachetto ;  they  had  a  membership  of  twen- 
ty-two. I  make  no  comment  on  these  facts.  They 
are  facts  as  I  learned  them,  and  they  speak  for  them- 
selves. The  Catholics  well  know  how  hard  it  is  to 
remove  first  impressions,  consequently  they  rear  their 
children  in  the  bosom  of  the  church,  and  their  religious 
teaching  and  training  becomes  a  part  of  their  very 
being,  so  thoroughly  interwoven  with  their  education 
in  all  other  respects  which  go  to  make  up  their  individ- 
uality, that  it  would  be  like  tearing  a  tree  up  by  its 
roots  to  tear  out  these  fixed  principles  and  supplant 
them  by  others. 

Then,  again,  to  a  large  class  of  mankind  a  ritualistic 
religion  seems  to  be  more  acceptable  than  a  spiritual 
religion  which  induces  to  purity  of  life  and  conduct. 
The  anarchist  who  believes  and  is  taught  that  for  a 
few  shillings  his  sins,  even  to  murder,  can  be  forgiven 
by  one  who  claims  that  this  power  has  been  transmit- 
ted to  him,  is  not  likely  to  exchange  his  religion  for  a 
religion  that  says,  "  Thou  shaJt  not  kill. "  I  for  one 
believe  these  things  are  all  in  the  hands  of  a  good  and 
wise  God  who  in  the  spiritual  and  in  the  physical 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  101 

world   doetli   all   things   according   to  Lis   own    wise 
purposes. 

Header,  I  have  not  taken  you  to  Palatine  hill,  the 
place  where  the  palaces  of  the  imperial  Cassars  were 
erected.  The  place  where  Romulus  founded  the  city, 
around  which  he  built  a  wall.  To  do  so  would  extend 
this  part  of  my  subject  to  too  great  length,  and  it 
would  be  uninteresting  unless  you  could  see  for  your- 
self the  various  objects  and  localities  pointed  out. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  the  old  Roman  forum  which 
has  been  excavated,  exposing  many  interesting  locali- 
ties. I  must  call  your  attention  to  the  grand  pillar 
erected  in  the  forum  of  Trajan,  in  commemoration  of 
the  Emperor's  conquest  of  Dacia.  Trajan's  column  is 
constructed  entirely  of  marble,  the  shaft  of  which  is 
eighty-seven  feet  high  ;  if  we  include  the  pedestal,  it  is 
one  hundred  and  forty  feet  high.  The  shaft  is  eleven 
feet  in  diameter  below  and  ten  at  the  top.  "When  first 
erected  it  was  surmounted  with  a  statue  of  the 
Emperor.  Around  the  column  runs  a  spiral  band  three 
feet  wide  and  six  hundred  feet  long,  covered  with 
reliefs  of  scenes  from  Trajan's  war  with  the  Dacians. 
Comprising,  besides  animals,  machines,  etc.,  upwards  of  / 
twenty-five  hundred  human  figures  from  two  to  two 
and  a  half  feet  in  height.  In  the  interior  of  the  col- 
umn is  a  staircase  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-four  steps 
ascending  to  the  top.  The  height  of  this  splendid  col- 
umn at  the  same  time  indicates  how  much  of  the  Quiri- 
nal  and  Capitoline  hills  had  to  be  leveled  or  cut  down 
in  order  to  make  room  for  the  Basilica  Ulpia  which 
was  erected  in  the  forum,  and  on  the  north  side  of 
which  this  pillar  stood. 

It  is  related  of  this  emperor  that  when  he  endeav- 


102  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

ored  to  buy  the  property  on  the  summits  of  the  Qui- 
rinal  and  Capitoline  hjills  with  a  view  of  having 
their  hills  leveled  down,  that  the  owners,  like  the  peo- 
ple of  our  country,  when  their  lands  are  wanted  for 
railroads  or  other  public  purposes,  valued  their  prop- 
erty so  highly  that  he  declined  purchasing,  and  set 
laborers  at  work  and  had  the  earth  removed  in  baskets 
until  their  houses  were  being  undermined  to  such  an 
extent  that  they  concluded  to  dispose  of  them  at  rea- 
sonable rates.  An  emperor  of  Rome  could  do  this  in 
Rome  at  that  time,  but  a  railroad  corporation  could 
not  do  it  in  America  at  any  time.  This  is  one  of  the 
ten  thousand  differences  between  a  monarchial  and  a 
republican  form  of  government.  In  the  excavated 
forum  the  foundation  of  the  four  rows  of  columns  which 
ornamented  the  Ulpia  church  may  be  seen.  Trajan 
lies  buried  beneath  this  grand  pillar  which  was  named 
in  his  honor.  I  looked  with  intense  interest  on  the 
locality  where  the  centurion  Virginius  is  said  to  have 
plunged  his  knife  into  the  heart  of  his  daughter  Vir- 
ginia, saying :  "  This  is  the  only  way  left,  my  child,  to 
keep  thee  free  and  unstained/'  Then  turning  to  the 
decemvir  Appius  Claudius,  holding  up  the  knife  drip- 
ping with  the  heart's  blood  of  his  own  daughter, 
exclaimed :  "  On  thee  and  on  thy  head  be  the  curse  of 
this  innocent  blood."  This  historical  event  is  too  well- 
known  to  repeat  in  full.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  this 
doting  father  plunged  the  dagger  to  the  heart  of  his 
child  and  laid  her  a  corpse  at  his  feet,  rather  than  to 
see  her  sacrificed  to  the  brutal  passions  of  a  superior 
Roman  official  to  be  made  his  slave  and  concubine.  All 
honor  to  such  a  father. 

Many  other   ancient  monuments  are .  to  be  seen  in 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  103 

this  old  city,  but  time  forbids  our  visiting  them.  I 
have  shown  you  such  as  are  most  interesting  to  the  vis- 
itor. 

It  is  five  hundred  miles  from  Rome  to  Brindisi. 
This  distance  we  travel  now  by  rajl,  changing  cars  at 
Capua.  These  cars  are  not  constructed  like  the  cars 
iji  our  country,  nor  are  they  as  comfortable.  They  are 
divided  into  what  they  call  carriages  by  partitions 
running  across  the  cars.  Each  carriage  seats  from 
eight  to  ten  passengers,  who  sit  facing  each  other,  the 
seats  being  arranged  like  the  seats  in  our  ordinary  road 
carriages.  The  car  doors  open  on  the  sides  of  the  car, 
one  on  each  side  of  the  carriage.  When  a  train  leaves 
a  depot  the  doors  of  the  carriage  are  bolted  on  the  out- 
side and  the  passengers  compelled  to  remain  seated 
until  the  next  depot  is  reached.  The  signal  for  a  train 
to  pull  out  from  a  depot  is  given  by  an  official  stationed 
at  the  depot  ringing  an  old  croupy  bell.  Their  eating 
stations  are  poorly  provided  with  servants,  and  a 
traveler  unacquainted  with  the  language  of  the  people 
through  whose  country  he  may  be  passing  can  not 
afford  at  these  stations  to  stand  back  or  sit  still  and 
wait  until  he  can  by  signs  and  otherwise  make  himself 
understood.  On  the  contrary  he  will  have  to  pitch  in 
and  help  himself  to  whatever  he  wants  and  as  much  of 
it  as  he  thinks  he  can  devour.  It  matters  not  if  the 
proprietor  demurs,  shakes  his  head,  stamps  his  foot  and 
gesticulates  wildly.  He  may  be  giving  utterance  to 
blessings  or  curses,  and  if  you  say  hard  things  back 
it  is  only  an  offset.  Neither  of  you  can  understand 
what  the  other  says.  I  found  it  quite  a  comfort  while 
traveling  in  strange  lands  to  be  able  to  say  saucy  things 


104  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

to  people  and  run  no  risk  of  being  whipped  for  my 
impertinence. 

That  part  of  Italy  lying  between  the  Apennine 
mountains  and  the  Adriatic  sea  is  a  lovely  country. 
The  railroad  runs  along  near  the  Adriatic,  the  sea  being 
frequently  in  sight.  From  the  mountains  to  the  sea 
this  vast  plain,  comprising  thousands  of  acres  of  fertile 
valley  land,  is  filled  with  olive  groves,  vine3Tards  and 
orchards  of  pomegranate,  fig,  almonds,  etc.  Scattered 
over  the  olive  groves  are  rock  houses  shaped  like  hay 
stacks,  in  which  are  olive  presses  for  pressing  the  oil 
out  of  the  ripe  fruit.  Many  of  the  olive  trees  in  these 
groves  are  a  thousand  or  more  years  old.  The  hearts 
of  many  of  them  have  rotted  out,  leaving  the  shaft  or 
body  of  the  tree  nothing  but  a  large  shell.  To 
strengthen  them,  the  farmers  have  built  rock  walls 
around  the  trunks,  and  stone  columns  but  a  little  dis- 
tance from  the  roots  of  the  trees  to  support  the  larger 
and  heaver  branches.  Grasses  or  small  grain  can  be 
grown  in  the  olive  groves  without  injury  to  the  trees 
and  without  materially  lessening  the  yield  of  grain, 
as  the  olive  trees  are  pruned  closely  annually  and  the 
area  of  shaded  ground  materially  lessened  thereby. 

The  prunings  of  all  fruit  trees  are  taken  special  care 
of  and  burned  into  charcoal,  to  be  used  in  their  cooking 
stoves.  The  farm-houses  in  Italy  are  generally  built 
of  stone  two  stories  in  height  and  covered  with  tiling. 
You  see  a  variety  of  grape  here,  which  is  pruned  down 
annually  to  within  ten  or  twelve  inches  of  the  ground. 
This  is  one  of  the  most  desirable  countries  to  be  found, 
but  overpopulation,  bad  government,  a  large  standing 
army,  and  Romanism  keep  the  masses  in  the  lowest 
depths  of  poverty  and  ignorance. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  105 

Brindisi  is  a  town  or  city  of  forty  thousand  inhabit- 
ants. It  is  located  on  the  best  harbor  on  the  Italian 
coast.  Large  vessels  can  come  up  alongside  the  wharf 
and  load  by  means  of  staging,  as  they  do  at  our  wharves. 
When  I  was  in  Brindisi,  large  quantities  of  olive  oil 
and  wine  were  being  exported.  The  new  crop  of 
almonds  was  retailing  at  from  twenty  to  twenty-five 
cents  per  bushel,  and  other  fruits  at  proportionate 
prices.  It  is  here  as  it  has  been  ever  since  we  landed 
in  Italy,  we  are  besieged  by  a  horde  of  beggars. 

Here  the  old  Appian  way  terminated,  and  just  out 
of  the  city  may  be  seen  the  old  fortifications  which 
guarded  this  entrance  into  Italy. 

From  Brindisi  to  the  island  of  Corfu,  in  the  Ionian 
sea,  is  twenty-four  hours  run.  Corfu  is  a  lovely 
island,  with  a  population  of  seventy-five  thousand ; 
although  the  island  is  only  seventy-five  miles  in  cir- 
cumference. The  little  city  of  the  same  name  is  built 
from  the  water's  edge  up  the  slopes  of  the  hills,  and 
spreads  over  considerable  space.  Many  of  its  residences 
in  the  suburbs  of  the  city  are  surrounded  by  orchards 
and  gardens  of  orange,  lemon,  and  other  tropical  fruits. 
The  little  picturesque  city  of  Corfu,  which  we  had  the 
pleasure  of  riding  over,  has  a  population  of  some  fifteen 
or  twenty  thousand.  The  inhabitants,  at  least  a  large 
proportion  of  them,  seem  to  be  very  poor.  Fruits 
grown  on  this  island  are  of  superior  quality  and  flavor, 
and  so  abundant  that  to  the  visitor  they  appear  remark- 
ably cheap.  Fifteen  hours  run,  after  leaving  this  beauti- 
ful fruit-producing  island,  sitting  like  a  little  queen  in 
the  midst  of  its  watery  realm,  brought  us  to  old  Patras 
in  southern  Greece,  situated  on  the  coast  of  the  gulf  of 
Patras,  an  old,  quaint  city,  with  a  population  of  forty 


106  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

thousand.  Patras  is  a  manufacturing  city,  everything 
being  made  by  hand ;  that  is,  they  use  no  machinery. 
The  streets  are  narrow,  crooked  and  filthy  and  without 
sidewalks.  One  of  the  first  things  we  noticed  is  that 
the  pride,  which  has  always  characterized  this  people, 
clings  to  them,  even  in  extreme  poverty,  for,  although 
poverty  shows  his  grim  face  in  the  streets,  in  the  houses 
and  in  the  workshops,  yet  we  find  no  beggars.  Men, 
women,  and  children  are  poorly  clad,  and  have  a  care- 
worn expression.  The  women  were  dressed  in  faded, 
tattered  gowns,  and  the  men  in  old  clothes  of  various 
make-ups.  The  greater  number,  however,  cling  to  the 
old  Greek  costume,  the  short  plaited  skirt  reaching  to 
the  knees,  short  pants  with  full  hose  and  slippers.  Poor 
as  they  are,  they  are  too  proud  to  beg.  The  contrast 
between  Italy  and  Greece,  in  this  particular,  was  very 
striking.  In  Italy  you  are  annoyed  on.  every  hand 
with  beggars.  Able-bodied  men  and  young  healthy- 
looking  women,  when  out  of  employment,  have  to  beg 
or  starve.  The  few  beggars  we  met  in  Greece  were 
usually  old  decrepit  men  or  women  or  such  as  were 
afflicted. 

Reader,  if  you  will  accompany  me  in  a  stroll  around 
the  streets  of  old  Patras,  you  will  see  some  of  the  cus- 
toms of  these  people  which  may  be  new  and  interesting 
to  you.  See  that  fellow  with  a  pole  across  his  shoulder, 
with  halves  and  quarters  of  mutton  and  kid  hung  to 
each  end.  That  is  the  way  they  serve  the  people  with 
meats.  He  travels  along  the  streets,  going  from  house 
to  house,  selling  to  each  housekeeper  as  much  as  wanted. 
In  other  words,  it  is  a  portable  meat  market.  Here 
is  a  carpenter's  shop  where  they  make,  among  other 
things,  coffins  for  street  parades.  You  see  these  shal- 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  107 

low  coffins,  made  of  thin,  light  boards.  Here  are  some 
finished  for  sale.  They  are  covered  with  bright  mate- 
rial of  different  colors,  gaily  trimmed.  The  dead  are 
shrouded  in  purple  and  laid  in  one  of  these  coffins; 
oranges  or  other  fruits  are  put  in  the  hands  and  laid 
alongside  the  corpse.  In  this  manner  the  dead  are 
carried  along  the  streets  on  the  shoulders  of  men  who 
head  a  procession.  You  may  see  one  or  more  funeral 
processions  before  you  leave  the  country.  See  that 
old  market  woman  spitting  on  her  eggs  and  wiping 
them  with  an  old,  dirty  cloth  to  clean  them.  You  see 
just  over  there  out  in  the  streets  a  rude,  primitive 
machine  for  twisting  and  lapping  thread. 

Here  you  see  them  packing  currants  in  boxes  for 
shipment.  The  currants  are  heaped  up  in  a  large  pile 
on  the  floor  of  the  packing  room.  A  lot  of  barefooted 
men  and  women  stand  in  the  boxes  (one  person  in  each 
box)  and  pack  the  currants  as  they  are  shoveled  in  by 
other  laborers.  "  Are  their  feet  clean  ? "  vou  ask. 

V 

You  can  see  how  they  wash  them  and  judge  for  your- 
self. Each  one  walks  up  to  a  bucket  (all  go  to  the 
same  bucket  of  water,  mind  you),  sticks  first  one  foot 
into  the  water  and  shakes  it  and  then  the  other,  and 
then  steps  into  the  box.  You  see  they  are  regular 
"  footwashers  "  after  a  fashion.  See  how  the  people 
gather  around  us  and  follow  us  from  street  to  street. 
Doubtless  we  are  as  great  a  curiosity  to  them  as  they 
are  to  us.  But  it  is  time  we  were  going  to  the  depot 
if  we  expect  to  go  to  Athens  to-day,  for,  you  remem- 
ber, it  is  one  hundred  and  seventy -five  miles  from  Pat- 
ras  to  Athens. 

From  Patras  the  railroad  coasts  along  the  gulf  of 
Corinth.  In  some  places  the  Pindus  mountains  run  up 


S- 


108  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

to  the  gulf,  but  the  greater  part  of  the  way  before 
reaching  the  isthmus  the  route  runs  through  a  very  fer- 
tile valley  from  five  to  twenty  miles  in  width,  every 
acre  of  which  is  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  being 
planted  in  olives  and  currants,  which  are  the  staple  pro- 
ducts of  Greece.  Here  and  there  we  see  some  fields  of 
wheat  and  other  small  grain.  Now  and  then  we  see 
small  flocks  of  sheep  attended  by  shepherds.  The  soil 
is  a  very  light  grey,  and  after  being  once  plowed  and 
planted  is  cultivated  altogether  with  the  hoe.  In  this 
valley  we  first  saw  the  one-handled  plows.  They  were 
being  used  by  both  men  and  women.  The  farm- 
houses all  seemed  to  be  built  of  stone  concrete  or  sun- 
dried  brick,  and  covered  with  tiles  as  in  Italy,  and  con- 
sequently are  fire-proof.  You  never  see  here  where  a 
house  has  been  burned  down. 

Just  before  reaching  the  isthmus  of  Corinth  we 
come  to  a  little  village  and  a  station  called  Corinth. 
Some  half  mile  or  three-quarters  to  the  right  of  the 
station  is  a  high  hill  on  a  level  plateau  of  ground  ;  on 
this  hill  once  stood  the  old  city  of  Corinth  and  the 
church  of  Corinth.  It  was  once  a  famous  city  of 
Greece,  commanding,  by  its  position,  the  Ionian  and 
^Egian  seas,  and  holding,  as  it  were,  the  keys  of  the 
Peloponnesus.  "  At  one  time  it  was  the  seat  of  wealth 
and  of  the  arts,  while  the  rest  of  Greece  was  sunk  into 
comparative  obscurity  and  barbarism."  Its  origin  is, 
of  course,  lost  in  the  night  of  time,  but  history  assures 
us  that  it  already  existed  long 'before  the  siege  of  Troy, 
which  occurred  1184  B.  C.  So,  reader,  while  we  are 
looking  at  that  high  hill,  now  bare  of  trees  and  verdure 
with  only  a  few  scattering  stones  here  and  there, 
remains  of  old  edifices  which  were  built  by  the  Romans, 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  109 

we  are  looking  at  the  location  of  what  was  once  the 
proudest  and  most  celebrated  city  in  all  Greece,  and 
where  once  was  located  a  church  to  which  Sts.  Paul, 
Peter  and  Apoll^fs  preached. 

Let  us  recall  a  few  of  the  historical  incidents  asso- 
ciated with  this  old  place.  "  The  Corinthians  were  the 
first  people  to  build  war  galleys,  and  the  earliest  naval 
battles  of  which  we  have  any  account  were  fought  by 
their  fleets.  The  art  of  painting  and  sculpture,  more 
especially  that  of  casting  bronze,  attained  to  the  high- 
est perfection  at  Corinth,  and  rendered  this  city  the 
ornament  of  Greece  until  it  was  stripped  by  the  rapac- 
ity of  a  Roman  general." 

The  tombs,  in  which  had  been  deposited  many  hand- 
some bronze  vases  and  other  works  of  art,  were  dese- 
crated and  ransacked  by  the  Roman  colonists  (a  Roman 
colony  having  been  established  there  after  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  city);  many  of  them  were  taken  to  Rome 
and  sold  at  enormous  prices.  When  the  Romans 
defeated  the  Corinthians,  or  Achaeans,  as  they  were 
then  called,  in  a  general  engagement  and  entered  the 
city,  it  was  given  up  to  plunder  and  finally  set  on  fire 
and  its  walls  razed  to  the  ground,  so  that  scarcely  a  ves- 
tige of  the  great  and  noble  city  remained.  Polybius, 
who  witnessed  its  destruction,  says  that  he  saw 
Roman  soldiers  using  the  finest  paintings  as  boards 
upon  which  to  throw  dice  and  for  playing  draughts. 
All  the  men  were  put  to  the  sword,  the  women  and 
children  sold,  and  the  most  valuable  statues  and  paint- 
ings removed  to  Rome. 

It  was,  however,  subsequently  rebuilt  by  the  Romans. 
Julius  Caesar  not  long  before  his  death  sent  a  numerous 
colony  there,  by  whom  Corinth  was  once  more  raised 


110  TRAVELS    Ifr    EGYPT 

from  its  state  of  ruin.  It  was  already  a  large  and  pop- 
ulous city  and  the  capital  of  Achaia,  when  Paul 
preached  the  Gospel  there  for  a  year  and  six  months. 
It  is  said :  "After  these  things  Paul  departed  from 
Athens,  and  came  to  Corinth,  and  he  continued  there 
a  year  and  six  months,  teaching  the  word  of  God 
among  them."  Acrocorinthus  is  a  high  hill  which 
rears  its  summit  far  above  the  hill  we  see,  and  upon 
which  the  city  was  built.  This  hill  can  be  seen  from 
Athens,  a  distance  of  forty  miles  in  a  straight  line. 
It  is  one  of  the  finest  objects  in  Greece.  On  the  sum- 
mit of  this  hill  was  erected  a  temple  of  Venus,  to  whom 
the  whole  of  the  hill,  in  fact,  was  sacred.  Plutarch 
relates  that  Alexander  the  Great,  when  at  Corinth 
receiving  the  congratulations  of  all  ranks  (on  being 
appointed  to  command  the  army  of  the  Greeks  against 
the  Persians)  missed  Diogenes  among  the  number.  He 
was  unacquainted  with  his  eccentricities,  and  being 
curious  to  see  one  who  had  given  so  signal  an  instance 
of  his  haughty  independence  of  spirit,  Alexander  went 
in  search  of  him  and  found  him  sitting  in  his  tub  in  the 
sun.  "  I  am  Alexander  the  Great,"  said  the  monarch. 
"And  I  am  Diogenes  the  Cynic,"  replied  the  philoso- 
pher. Alexander  requested  that  he  would  inform  him 
what  service  he  could  render  him.  "Stand  from 
between  me  and  the  sun,"  said  the  cynic. 

Paul  founded  a  church  at  Corinth  during  the  year 
and  a  half  he  remained  here  preaching,  and  it  was  to 
these  brethren  his  letters  recorded  in  the  1st  and  2d 
Corinthians  were  written. 

A  few  minutes  after  leaving  the  station  (Corinth) 
we  crossed  the  isthmus  of  Corinth  across  which  a 
canal  is  no\v  being  cut  connecting  the  gulf  of  Corinth 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  Ill 

and  the  gulf  of  ^Egina.  The  canal  will  be  four  miles 
long.  After  crossing  the  isthmus  the  railroad  track  is 
cut  into  the  side  of  the  mountains  which  form  the 
northern  coast  of  the  gulf  of  ^Egina  until  we  reach 
Megara,  one  of  the  handsomest  little  cities  of  Greece. 
Here  we  run  into  a  beautiful  valley  which  extends 
beyond  Athens  and  widens  out  into  the  valley  of  Mara- 
thon. 

I  must  apprise  the  reader  that  what  I  have  to  say 
in  describing  the  views  seen  at  Athens,  especially  as  to 
dimensions,  style  and  description  of  architecture,  etc., 
etc.,  has  been  selected  from  the  most  reliable  authorities, 
and  I  have  made  these  descriptions  as  brief  as  possible, 
realizing  that  they  would  be  unsatisfactory  to  the  reader 
who  has  studied  the  extent,  beauties  and  magnifi- 
cence of  these  ancient  structures  as  tlaey  once 
existed,  and  further  realizing  they  would  but  poorly 
acquaint  the  young  reader  of  these  pages  with  their 
imposing  grandeur,  but  hoping  thereby  to  excite  in  the 
minds  of  such  readers  a  desire  for  a  more  thorough 
knowledge  of  them,  which  may  be  found  in  other  works. 

Reader,  it  is  not  of  ancient  Athens,  the  celebrated 
capital  of  Attica,  that  we  have  to  talk,  for  that  would 
take  us  back  155(>  Before  the  Christian  era,  the  time  the 
ancient  city  is  said  to  have  been  founded.  There  was 
a  distinction  made  between  part  of  the  ancient  cit}' 
situated  on  the  high  rocky  hill  and  the  other  part 
which  was  subsequently  built  in  the  valley  below. 
The  first  settlements  were  made  upon  the  hill  and 
called  Acropolis,  or  the  "upper  city/'  where  theparthe- 
non  and  other  splendid  edifices  afterwards  stood.  The 
buildings  in  the  plain  where  eventually  Athens  stood 
were  called  the  "  lower  city."  Nothing  remains  upon  the 


112  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

hill  at  this  time  except  the  ruins  of  the  magnificent  build- 
ings which  at  one  time  were  the  ornament  of  the  city 
and  the  pride  of  the  Athenians.  "  This  people  have 
been  admired  in  all  ages  for  their  love  of  liberty,  their 
courage  and  for  the  great  men  that  were  born  among 
them  ;  perhaps  there  is  not  one  single  city  in  the  world 
that  can  boast  of  so  large  a  number  of  illustrious  citi- 
zens, both  in  military  achievements  and  in  the  walks  of 
civil  life  in  the  same  period  of  time,  as  in  the  city  of 
Athens."  Here  lived  the  poet,  the  artist,  the  philos- 
opher and  the  historian.  Athens  now  has  a  population  of 
eighty-five  thousand.  It  is  a  well  built  city  and  ail  the 
modern  part  has  good,  wide,  well-paved  streets,  nice 
parks  and  beautiful  buildings  ;  but,  like  other  cities  in 
this  part  of  the  old  world,  it  has  its  narrow,  dirty  streets 
and  shabby  buildings.  The  country  around  the  city  is 
mountainous  and  barren,  and  affords  but  little  timber, 
and  is  thinly  clad  with  scanty 'vegetation.  The  valley 
lands  are  productive,  but  they  do  not  appear  to  be  very 
extensive  in  area.  Doubtless  they  owe  their  produc- 
tiveness to  the  large  amount  of  fertilizers  used  by  the 
agriculturists.  The  Acropolis  on  which  the  city  was 
first  built,  as  stated  above,  was  separated  from  Mars 
hill  by  a  wide  cut  made  perhaps  to  increase  the  extent 
of  perpendicular  bluff  sides  of  the  hill  as  a  means  of 
easier  defense,  or  to  give  a  level  foundation  for  the  wall 
by  which  the  Acropolis  was  at  one  time  surrounded. 

This  hill  is  the  natural  center  of  all  settlements  in 
the  plains  around.  It  is  a  rocky  plateau  of  crystalline 
limestone,  rising  precipitously  to  a  height  of  several 
hundred  feet.  "  It  was  the  seat  of  the  earliest  Athe- 
nian kings,  who  here  sat  in  judgment  and  assembled 
their  councils.  At  a  later  period  the  judicial  and  pop- 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  113 

ular  assemblages  were  moved  to  the  lower  portion  of 
the  city  and  the'  Acropolis  was  devoted  solely  to  the 
gods,  and  was  covered  with  the  most  magnificent  tem- 
ples the  world  ever  saw. 

The  Parthenon,  the  most  perfect  monument  of 
ancient  art,  occupied  the  highest  point  of  the  Acro- 
polis, "  towering  above  all  of  its  neighbors."  It 
excelled  all  other  buildings  of  ancient  Athens  in 
its  plastic  embellishments  and  the  brilliancy  of  its 
various  colors.  But  little  of  these,  however,  can  now 
be  seen  among  the  massive  ruins  of  the  Parthenon 
remaining.  The  present  structure,  the  ruins  of  which 
we  now  see,  was  erected  in  the  time  of  Pericles,  i.  e., 
about  450  B.  C.,  to  take  the  place'  of  an  old^r  temple. 
The  year  the  Parthenon  was  begun  can  not  be  defi- 
nitely ascertained,  but  some  idea  of  the  length  of  time 
it  must  have  taken  to  build  it  may  be  gathered  from 
the  fact  that  it  included  sixty-two  large  and  thirty-six 
small  columns  and  fifty  life-size  statues  (which  were 
used  in  the  decorations),  a  frieze  five  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-four feet  in  length,  three  and  one-half  feet  wide, 
with  ninety-two  Metapes  or  interspaces,  and  a  figure  of 
the  goddess  Athena  thirty-nine  feet  high.  The  plat- 
form upon  which  the  column  stands  is  two  hundred 
and  twenty-eight  feet  longandone  hundred  and  one  feet 
broad.  On  this  rise  stood  forty-six  Doric  columns, 
forming  the  outer  framework  of  the  temple.  Eight 
of  these  are  at  each  end  and  seventeen  on  each  side, 
counting  the  corner  columns  twice.  These  columns  are 
thirty-four  feet  in  height,  the  lower  diameter  six  feet 
three  inches,  the  upper,  four  feet  ten  inches.  These 
columns  are  all  fluted,  each  having  twenty  flutes,  which 
diminish  in  width,  though  not  in  depth,  as  they  approach 


114  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

the  capitol.  The  crowning  glory  of  this  superb  temple 
was  the  unequaled  sculptures  with  which  it  was 
adorned  by  the  chisel  and  under  the  direction  of  that 
master  sculptor  Phidias,  whose  plastic  work  has  never 
been  surpassed. 

It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  know  what  this  work 
was,  and  how  it  was  done.  The  central  figure  or  por- 
tion of  the  material  used  was  wood.  On  this  the  figure, 
was  modeled  in  some  plastic  material,  and  this  in  turn 
covered  with  plates  of  ivory  and  gold.  From  the  most 
authentic  calculations  made  the  value  of  the  precious 
metals  used  in  making  the  goddess  Athena  amounted 
to  fifty-two  thousand  dollars.  This  goddess  Athena 

Swas  regarded  as  the  guardian  of  the  city,  and  with 
other  deities  had  their  shrines  in  the  Erichtheon,  a 
smaller,  but,  if  possible,  a  handsomer,  temple  than  the 
Parthenon  itself.  The  original  external  form  of  this 
temple  can  still  be  traced  in  the  present  ruins,  but  the 
temple,  like  the  Parthenon,  has  undergone  numerous 
vicissitudes,  being  used  at  one  time  as  a  Christian 
church  and  at  another  as  the  harem  of  a  Turkish  Pacha. 
The  main  building  of  this  temple  was  sixty-five  feet 
long  and  thirty-seven  feet  wide,  and  stood  upon  a  base- 
ment raised  three  steps,  each  step  being  ten  inches 
high  and  thirteen  in  width.  The  columns  supporting 
the  roof  were  twenty-three  feet  high.  The  portico  of  the 
Maidens  was  a  part  of,  or  attached  to,  the  last  named 
temple.  The  roof  of  this  portico  is  supported  by  six 
figures  of  maidens  larger  somewhat  than  life,  standing 
on  a  parapet  eight  feet  high.  These  figures  are 
regarded  as  perfect  in  form,  of  an  "  elevated  and  vigor- 
ous beauty,  full  of  the  spirit  of  youthful  grace  and 
vitalitv." 


AND   THE   HOLT    LAND.  115 

The  Propylsea,  the  most  important  secular  work  in 
ancient  Athens,  is  the  gateway  leading  to  the  sacred  pre- 
cincts. It  is  constructed  entirely  of  fine  marble  from 
Pentelicon  mountain.  This  structure  was  begun  437 
B.  C.,  and  completed  in  five  years,  i.  e.,  as  far  as  it  ever 
was  completed.  This  portal  was  the  brilliant  jewel  on 
the  front  of  the  conspicuous  rocky  coronet  of  the  Acro- 
polis. It  rivaled  the  Parthenon  in  the  admiration  of 
the  ancients,  and  as  one  observer  truthfully  says,  "even 
now,  when  time  and  the  destructiveness  of  men  have 
done  their  worst,  we  recognize  in  its  noble  design  the 
bloom  of  eternal  youth."  The  imposing  structure  con- 
sists of  a  central  gateway  and  two  wings,  occupying  the 
whole  upper  west  side  of  the  Acropolis.  About  forty 
steps  from  this  structure  is  a  large  platform  cut  into  the 
rock,  upon  which  it  is  thought,  stood  the  colossal  statue 
of  Athena  Promachus  (fighter  of  the  van).  This  mag- 
nificent bronze  statue  was  executed  by  Phidias  of 
spoils  of  Marathon.  This  figure  of  the  goddess  was 
sixty-six  feet  high. 

Near  the  base  of  the  Acropolis,  on  the  north  side  and 
near  the  west  end,  the  theater  of  Bacchus  was  located. 
This  theater  or,  as  it  is  usually  called,  temple  of  Bac- 
chus, may  be  properly  regarded  as  the  cradle  of  the 
dramatic  art  of  Greece.  This  is  the  place  in  which 
the  masterpieces  of  ^Eschylus,  Sophocles,  Euripides 
and  Aristophanes  first  excited  delight  and  admiration. 
The  old  stage,  in  the  front  of  which  are  reliefs  of 
statues  which  seem  to  be  bent  under  their  burdens,  is 
in  a  fair  state  of  preservation.  The  seats  were  partly 
excavated  in  the  solid  rock  of  the  hill  and  sweep  around 
in  front  of  the  stage  in  a  semi-circle,  with  a  radius  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  The  seats  rise  in  tiers  one 


116  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

above  another,  and  are  divided  by  narrow  aisles,  as  our 
theaters  are  at  the  present  day.  The  seats  were 
formed  of  blocks  of  stone.  The  front,  now  consisting 
of  chairs,  made  of  Pentilic  marble.  It  would  seat 
thirty  thousand  people.  From  th0,  theater  of  Bacchus, 
running  west  on  the  lower  terrace  of  the  hill  in  the 
form  of  a  colonnade  (we  will,  find  one  somewhat  similar 
at  the  site  of  old  Samaria  in  Palestine),  is  the  so-called 
Stoa  Eumenia,  five  hundred  and  thirty -four  feet  in 
length,  one  side  of  which  was  formed  by  the  arched 
wall  in  front  of  the  masonry  supporting  the  terrace 
above,  or  the  upper  terrace.  This  colonnade,  which  I 
took  to  be  fifty  or  seventy-five  feet  in  depth,  extended 
from  the  temple  of  Bacchus  to  the  theater  of  Dionysus, 
or  the  Odeion,  and  was  divided  lengthwise  by  a  row  of 
columns.  The  basement  of  the  columns  may  be  seen 
in  situ.  The  Odeion  theatre  is  the  loftiest  and  most 
conspicuous  among  the  ruins  at  the  base  of  the  Acro- 
polis. This  theater  was  built  by  Claudius  Herod  us 
Atticus,  in  honor  and  to  the  memory  of  his  wife.  The 
stage  of  the  theater  was  one  hundred  and  sixteen  feet 
long  and  twenty-six  feet  deep;  at  the  back  of  the  stage 
is  a  massive  wall  pierced  by  three  doors.  The  audito- 
rium was  two  hundred  and  sixty  feet  in  diameter  and 
accommodated  six  thousand  people.  The  seats  rise  one 
above  another  on  the  rocky  slope  of  the  Acropolis. 
These  seats  were  all  covered  with  Pentilic  marble,  and, 
unlike  other  ancient  theaters,  the  whole  was  covered  in 
with  a  magnificent  roof  of  cedar.  The  roof  has  been 
destroyed,  but  the  remainder  of  the  building  is  in  a 
fair  state  of  preservation. 

"  The  Acropolis,  once  covered  as  it  was  with  mag- 
nificent temples,  then  unequaled  in  grandeur,  beauty 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  117 

and  artistic  design,  was  filled  with  statuary  deities  of 
unsurpassed  workmanship  and  elegance.  Its  capacious 
theaters  where  dramatic  art  had  its  origin,  its  colon- 
nades and  other  wonderful  structures  of  equal  elegance, 
have  been  for  ages  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  the 
world ;  the  theme  of  oratory  and  the  burden  of  song. 
It  is  even  now  sublime  in  its  ruins,  and  we  can  but  look 
upon  this  historic  hill&nd  regret  that  its  glory  has  for- 
ever departed." 

About  seventy -five  steps  to  the  north  of  the  second 
bend  and  near  the  west  end  of  the  Acropolis  is  the 
rocky  hill,  which  in  ancient  times  bore  the  name 
Areopagus,  or  Mars  hill.  The  entire  hill  seems  to  be 
one  solid  rock,  totally  destitute  of  soil.  The  northeast 
end  is  precipitous,  and  the  highest  part  of  it.  From 
this  part  it  slopes  off  gradually  to  the  plain  below. 
From  this  elevated  point  the  entire  city  of  Athens  is 
in  view.  Platforms  may  be  seen  hewn  in  the  rock  in 
all  directions  as  sites  for  the  ancient  altars,  statues,  etc. 
A  flight  of  rude  steps  was  cut  in  the  rock  as  a  means 
of  ascent.  They  are  now  in  a  state  of  ruin. 

"The  ancient  court  of  the  Areopagus,  consisting  of 
venerable  and  eminent  Athenian  citizens,  exercising 
supreme  jurisdiction  in  all  cases  of  life  and  death,  held 
its  sittings  on  this  hill  above  the  spring  of  Eumenides." 

The  market  place  of  the  ancient  city  lay  on  the  north 
side  of  this  hill.  It  was  here  that  St.  Paul  in  the 
spring  of  54  A.  D.  delivered  that  memorable  sermon 
of  which  we  have  an  account  in  the  17th  chapter  of 
Acts,  as  follows:  "Then  certain  philosophers  of  the 
Epicureans, and  of  the  Stoicks,  encountered  him  and  some 
said,  What  will  this  babbler  say  ?  Othersome,  Heseemeth 
to  be  a  setter-f  orth  of  strange  gods  :  because  he  preached 


118  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

unto  them  Jesus  and  the  resurrection.  And  they  took 
him  and  brought  him  unto  Areopagus,  saying,  May  \ve 
know  what  this  new  doctrine,  whereof  thou  speakest,  is? 
For  thou  bringest  certain  strange  things  to  our  ears :  we 
would  know,  therefore,  what  these  things  mean.  Then 
Paul  stood  in  the  midst  of  Mars'  hill,  and  said,  Ye 
men  of  Athens,  I  perceive  that  in  all  things  ye  are  too 
superstitious."  This  I  admit  is  the  authorized  version, 
but  does  he  not  mean  that  they  were  "  in  all  things 
mindful  of  the  divine  or  unseen  influence?"  It  would 
seem  to  me  that  this  was  the  meaning,  from  the  follow- 
ing verses,  to-wit:  "For  as  I  passed  by  and  beheld 
your  devotions,  I  found  an  altar  with  this  inscription, 
To  the  unknown  god.  Whom  therefore  ye  ignorantly 
worship,  him  declare  I  unto  you. 

"  God  that  made  the  world  and  all  things  therein, 
seeing  that  he  is  lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  dwelleth 
not  in  temples  made  with  hands,  etc." 

Reader,  on  our  way  from  Mars'  hill  to  the  hotel  we 
passed  the  Theseum,  the  best  preserved  edifice,  not  only 
of  ancient  Athens,  but  of  the  whole  of  ancient  Greece. 
It  is  an  oblong  building  surrounded  by  columns.  Its  age 
and  preservation  are  all  that  makes  it  of  any  interest. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

BUT,  reader,  there  are  other  rums  of  noted  things  of 
the  past  which  we  must  visit.  Here  is  the  temple 
of  the  Olympian  Zeus  or  Jupiter,  described  by  Aristotle 
as  "  a  work  of  despotic  grandeur."  The  original  temple 
on  this  site  dates  back  to  the  earliest  period  of  Athen- 
ian history,  although  it  was  not  finally  completed  until 
the  days  of  Hadrian,  that  is,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
second  century  A.  D.  The  level  plateau  upon  which 
this  temple  stood  was  artificially  formed  on  the  steep 
slope  of  a  hill.  The  temple  was  originally  constructed 
with  one  hundred  Corinthian  columns,  five  and  one- 
half  feet  in  diameter  and  fifty-six  and  one-half  in 
height.  On  the  north  and  south  sides  there  were  forty 
of  these  columns  arranged  in  double  rows,  and  eight  at 
the  ends.  It  was  the  largest  Greek  temple  known, 
measuring  on  the  upper  platform  three  hundred  and 
fifty -three  feet  in  length,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
four  in  breadth.  The  enclosure  around  the  temple 
was  six  hundred  and  seventy-six  feet  long  and  four 
hundred  and  twenty-six  broad.  The  temple  contained 
a  statue  of  Jupiter  and  a  statue  of  Hadrian.  The  area 
contained  also  a  great  number  of  Hadrian's  statues,  he 
being  worshiped  as  the  founder  of  the  Pan-Helenic 
or  national  feast  connected  with  this  temple.  All  that 
remains  of  this  grand,  imposing  structure  is  now  rep- 
resented by  fifteen  of  the  large  columns  standing  in 
situ  on  the  open  plaza.  Just  across  the  street  from 
where  this  huge  temple  stood  is  now  a  small,  unpre- 
tending Protestant  church  (Presbyterian,  if  I  mistake 

119 


120  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

not),  and  the  only  Protestant  church  except  the  English 
church  in  the  city.  Over  the  doors,  written  in  Greek, 
it  says :  "  The  gospel  is  preached  here  every  Sabbath  at 
11  o'clock  A.  M.  Pews  free."  This  little  church  looks 
lonely  in  this  city  of  eighty-five  thousand  inhabitants, 
where  they  have  several  'hundred  fine  Greek  Catholic 
churches. 

Out  at  the  foot  of  the  hills  in  rather  the  outskirts  of 
the  city  you  find  the  Stadion,  the  scene  of  the  Pana- 
thenean  games.  "  It  was  built  by  the  statesman  and 
orator,  Lycurgus,  a  patriotic,  art-loving,  and  yet  frugal 
ruler,  who  not  only  made  extensive  improvements  in 
the  way  of  public  buildings,  but  filled  the  arsenals  and 
harbor  with  materials  of  war,  and,  it  is  said,  still  left  the 
public  treasury  full."  The  Stadion  was  built  about  330 
B.  C.,  and  was  formed  by  the  artificial  expansion,  or 
widening  out,  of  the  head  of  a  hollow  that  runs  up  to 
the  foot  of  the  hills.  Seats  were  made  sweeping  around 
three-fourths  of  a  circle  on  the  slopes  of  the  hills, 
leaving  an  arena  six  hundred  and  seventy  feet  long  and 
one  hundred  and  nine  broad.  As  far  as  can  now  be 
seen  there  were  about  sixty  rows  of  seats,  accom- 
modating fifty  thousand  people.  As  in  the  temple  of 
Bacchus,  the  lower  tier  of  seats  were  marble  chairs. 
Some  historians  say  that  a  rich  Athenian  gentleman, 
Herodes  Atticus,  of  Marathon,  who  erected  the  Odean 
theater,  provided  the  entire  Panathenean  Stadion  with 
marble  seats. 

"  Up  to  this  period,  Athens  had  continually  progressed 
in  external  splendor.  Thousands  of  people  from  every 
land  poured  into  the  city  to  attend  the  philosophic 
schools  and  gymnasia.  It  was  also  regarded  as  the 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  121 

'  mother  of  arts  and  eloquence.' ':     It  was,  as  it  were, 
the  university  of  the  ancient  world. 

We  will  leave  the  city  in  a  carriage  and  take  a  run 
down  to  the  gulf  of  Eleusis,  some  fourteen  or  sixteen 
miles  distant,  and  take  a  survey  of  the  remains  of  the 
old  temple  of  "  Mystery."  Eleusis  is  now  a  poor,  fever- 
haunted  village  of  about  twelve  hundred  inhabitants, 
mostly  Albanians.  The  widespread  notoriety  of  Eleusis 
has  grown  out  of  the  mysterious  religious  worship  of 
"  Demeter."  The  Eleusinian  mysteries  were  fegarded  as 
symbolizing  the  highest  and  holiest  feelings  of  mankind, 
but  we  will  speak  more  of  this  after  we  have  seen  the 
ruins  of  the  old  temple.  The  "  sacred  way,"  as  it  is 
called,  begins  at  the  Dipy  Ion,  or"  double  gateway;" 
this  gateway  derives  its  name  from  the  fact  that,  unlike 
all  the  gates  of  Athens,  it  possessed  two  entrances,  an 
outer  and  an  inner,  separated  by  an  intervening  court. 
Outside  the  gate  we  find  a  number  of  tombs  on  each 
side  of  the  road,  just  as  we  found  them  outside  the 
walls  on  the  Appian  way  at  Rome.  The  designs 
sculptured  on  some  of  these  tombs  are  not  only  beau- 
tiful, but  give  expression  to  sentiments  and  feelings 
very  touching  indeed.  On  one,  a  lady  was  bidding  her 
husband  and  children  farewell,  shaking  hands  with 
them,  as  though  she  realized  she  was  going  on  a  long 
journey.  f  Another  lady  was  giving  her  box  of  jewels 
to  her  husband,  in  the  presence  of  family  and  friends. 
The  expression  of  the  countenances  in  these  groups 
was  an  index  to  the  feelings  which  filled  their  breasts. 
One  large,  handsome  tomb  was  crowned  with  a  statue 
of  a  bull,  life-size,  in  the  act  of  making  a  charge.  I 
suppose  the  tornb  was  that  of  a  warrior.  These  tombs 
were  in  a  wonderfully  good  state  of  preservation,  con- 


122  TBAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

sidering  they  had  been  underground  for  thousands  of 
years;  the  earth,  or  debris,  surrounding  the  excavations 
being  twenty  or  more  feet  higher  than  the  excavated 
parts  (they  having  been  excavated  only  in  recent  years). 

On  the  road  to  Eleusis  we  passed  a  place  where  the 
high  rocky  bluff  approaches  so  near  the  gulf  as  to  leave 
only  a  road  wide  enough  for  a  carriage  to  pass.  This  is 
called  Daphne  Pass,  a  pass  very  similar  to  the  Ther. 
mopilae.  Before  reaching  Eleusis  we  pass  on  our  right  a 
beautiful  salt  water  lake  comprising  an  area  of  seven  or 
ten  acres,  which  doubtless  receives  its  supply  of  water 
from  springs  issuing  from  the  hills  in  its  rear,  as  the 
surface  of  the  water  in  the  lake  is  some  three  and  a  half 
or  four  feet  higher  than  the  water  in  the  gulf,  from  which 
it  was  not  more  than  one  hundred  yards  distant.  In 
this  lake-  in  ancient  times  the  priests  of  Euleusis  alone 
had  the  right  to  fish. 

To  the  right  of  the  entrance  to  the  modern  village 
lie  the  ruins  of  the  gateway  to  the  ancient  precincts. 
Passing  a  large  cutting  in  the  rock  at  the  lower  part  of 
the  present  village,  we  reach  the  plateau  on  which 
stood  the  great  "  Temple  of  the  Mysteries."  "  The 
portico  of  Phi  Ion,  in  front  of  the  southeast  side,  is  one 
hundred  and  eighty-three  feet  long  and  thirty-seven  feet 
deep,  and  was  formed  with  twelve  Doric  columns,  with 
two  others  behind  those  at  the  corners.  The  inte- 
rior of  the  temple  was  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
eight  feet  long  and  one  hundred  and  seventy  feet  wide, 
and  contained  forty-two  columns,  disposed  in  six  rows. 
Two  other  smaller  temples  adjoined  this  "  and  the  entire 
ruins  which  you  see  in  all  directions  around  you  show 
that  there  stood  there  in  the  days  long  gone  by  one  of  the 
oldest  and  grandest  of  the  Grecian  temples."  Classical 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  123 

history  informs  us  that  this,  the  most  celebrated  of  all 
the  religious  ceremonies  of  Greece,  was  founded  1350 
B.  C.,  upon  an  old  legend  which  relates  that  "  Deme- 
ter,"  in  the  course  of  her  despairing  search  for  her 
daughter  Proserpine,  who  had  been  carried  off  by 
Pluto,  arrived  at  Eleusis  in  the  guise  of  an  old 
woman  and  was  hospitably  received  into  the  household 
of  King  Keleas.  This  kindness  the  goddess  repaid 
by  giving  some  seed  corn  (wheat)  to  Triptolemos,  the 
son  of  the  king,  and  teaching  him  the  art  of  husbandry. 
The  memory  of  this  inestimable  gift  which  raised  men 
from  the  roving  state  of  hunters  and  shepherds  and 
rendered  them  capable  of  uniting  in  a  well  ordered  com- 
munity was  celebrated  twice  a  year  at  the  "  greater" 
and  "  lesser "  Eleusiana.  None  but  the  initiated  or 
the  "  mystic  "  were  permitted  to  take  part  in  the  cere- 
monies. Persons  of  both  sexes  and  all  ages  were 
initiated,  and  once  being  initiated,  to  neglect  this 
sacred  part  of  religion  was  regarded  as  a  heinous  crime. 
This  neglect  constituted  one  of  the  gravest  accusations 
which  lead  to  the  condemnation  of  that  wise  Dhiloso- 
pher,  Socrates." 

The  ceremony  of  initiation  into  this  order  was  as 
follows  :  "  The  candidates,  crowned  with  myrtle,  were 
admitted  by  night  into  a  place  called  the  mystical  tem- 
ple. As  they  entered  they  purified  themselves  by 
washing  their  hands  in  holy  water,  and  received  for 
admonition  that  they  were  to  come  with  a  mind  pure 
and  undefiled,  without  which  the  cleanliness  of  the  body 
would  be  unacceptable.  After  this,  the  holy  mysteries 
were  read  to  them  from  a  book  made  of  two  stones 
fitly  cemented  together,  and  then  the  priest  propounded 
to  them  certain  questions,  to  which  they  readily 


124  TEAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

answered.  After  this,  strange  and  fearful  objects  pre- 
sented themselves  to  their  sight.  The  place  often 
seemed  to  quake  and  to  appear  suddenly  resplendent 
with  fire,  and  immediately  to  be  covered  with  gloomy 
darkness  and  horror.  Sometimes  flashes  of  lightning 
appeared  on  every  side,  at  other  times,  thunder.  Hide- 
ous noises  and  howlings  were  heard,  and  the  trembling 
spectators  were  alarmed  by  sudden  and  dreadful  appa- 
ritions. This  was  called  initiation.  "When  these  cere- 
monies were  ended  a  word  was  uttered  by  the  officiat- 
ing priest,-  which  implied  that  all  was  ended  and  that 
those  present  might  retire.  This  ceremony  was 
regarded  as  a  profound  secret,  and  if  any  one  revealed 
it  it  was  supposed  that  he  had  called  divine  vengeance 
upon  his  head,  and  it  was  unsafe  to  live  in  the  same 
house  with  him ;  such  a  wretch  was  put  to  an  ignomin- 
ious death.  The  most  conspicuous  feature  of  the  festi- 
vals, which  were  celebrated  twice  annually,  i.  e.,  in 
March  and  September,  and  were  thus  synchronous  with 
the  revival  and  decay  of  nature,  was  the  solemn  torch- 
light procession  that  left  Athens  on  the  evening  of  the 
fifth  day  and  passed  along  the  sacred  way  to  Eleusis. 
The  details  of  the  ceremonies,  etc.,  connected  with  the 
mysteries  are  now  in  a  great  measure  lost  beyond 
recall ;  but  our  most  reliable  authorities  state  that  the 
doctrine  taught  in  the  mysteries  was  a  faith  which 
revealed  to  them  hopeful  things  about  the  world  to 
come,  and  which,  not  so  much  as  a  condition,  but  as  a 
consequence  of  this  clearer  light,  this  higher  faith, 
made  them  better  citizens  and  better  men.  Cicero  was 
initiated  into  the  order,  and  has  recorded  that  it  taught 
its  devotees  "not  only  to  live  happily,  but  to  die  with 
a  fairer  hope." 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  125 

The  ancient  writers  are  full  of  the  praises  of  the 
Eleusinian  mysteries,  of  the  ad  vantages  of  the  initiated, 
or  of  being  permitted  to  participate  in  the  ceremonies, 
claiming  that  it  secured  to  them  the  favor  of  the  gods 
while  living,  and  brighter  and  more  cheerful  hopes  in 
death. 

Reader,  let  me  call  your  attention  to  the  little  shrines 
with  glass  fronts  containing  pictures  of  the  virgin  and 
the  infant  Jesus,  with  burning  lamps  placed  in  front  of 
the  pictures  stationed  every  few  miles  alongside  the 
road  as  we  come.  These  are  placed  by  the  side 
of  the  roads  in  the  country  for  the  convenience  of  the 
devout  Greek  Catholics,  that  they  may  call  a  halt  and 
worship  the  holy  virgin  at  these  shrines  while  travel- 
ing, without  having  to  visit  the  cathedrals.  You  see 
also  another  strange  sight  to  the  American  Protestant, 
that  is,  these  representations  or  effigies  of  Christ  nailed 
to  the  cross,  erected  here  and  there,  along  the  railroad 
tracks  and  other  highways  all  over  this  Catholic 
country.  While  the  Roman  or  Latin  Catholics  pre- 
dominate in  Italy,  you  see  the  Greek  Catholics  have 
their  fetters  of  steel  equally  as  firmly  riveted  upon  this 
people. 

Now  let  me  call  your  attention  to  this  distinction  in 
the  old  ruins  of  Athens  and  Rome,  and  also  in  the  peo- 
ple. In  Rome  we  found  many  or  nearly  all  the  old 
buildings  made  of  tufa,  concrete,  etc.,  and  veneered 
inside  and  out  with  thin  marble  slabs.  Here  in  Athens 
they  were  constructed  entirely  of  blocks  of  beautiful 
marble,  and  in  addition  to  this  the  architecture  is  of  a 
higher  grade,  more  taste  and  elegance  showing  a 
higher  order  of  refinement.  Another  striking  differ- 
ence observed  is  the  better  condition  and  appearance 


126  TEAVELS  IN   EGYPT 

of  the  laboring  classes.  Another  thing  you  could  not 
have  failed  to  notice  :  It  seems  that  soldiers  do  police 
duty  when  any  is  done,  for  you  see  all  manner  of 
indecencies  and  outrages  unblushingly  perpetrated  in 
open  daylight  on  the  streets  seemingly  unnoticed,  and 
uncared  for  by  even  the  better  classes  of  the  citizens. 
Even  Mars  hill  is  used  as  a  place  of  private  resort. 

Reader,  with  your  permission  we  will  leave  this  sub- 
ject for  the  present  and  prepare  to  be  off  to  Piraeus, 
at  which  point  we  expect  to  take  shipment  to  Egypt. 
You  will  see  some  lovely  olive  groves  and  vineyards  on 
the  way,  and  notice  that  the  road  we  travel  is  con- 
structed on  the  foundation  of  one  of  the  old  long  walls 
that  once  connected  Athens  with  its  harbor,  distant  six 
miles.  What  a  proud,  independent  people  these  Greeks 
seem  to  be.  The  women  are  very  handsome,  and  carry 
themselves  with  an  ease  and  grace  which  an  American 
fully  appreciates.  You  will  observe  that  I  have  left 
out  of  my  description  of  the  ruins  of  old  Athens  and 
Rome  many  things  which  we  saw,  and  which  interested 
us  very  much  indeed,  but  we  must  not  weary  those  who 
are  not  familar  with  them  for  the  sake  of  our  readers  who 
are,  as  there  are  other  sources  from  which  they  can  learn 
all  the  particulars  of  these  monuments  of  grandeur  and 
glory  which  crowned  these  cities  in  the  centuries  long- 
past.  To  me  it  has  been  a  great  pleasure  to  wander  over 
the  places,  the  descriptions  and  the  fables  and  legends 
connected  with  which  constituted  so  many  of  my  hard 
lessons  when  a  schoolboy. 

Well,  here  we  are  on  board  the  Russian  steamer 
Behera,  at  Piraeus,  the  ancient  as  well  as  the  modern 
port  of  Athens.  And  here  we  find  some  six  hundred 
steerage  passengers  (Mohammedans  en  route  to  Mecca). 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  127 

You  see  they  are  of  every  hue,  from  fair  to  ebony  black, 
while  the  majority  are  of  a  light  copper  color ;  some 
of  them  are  genuine  thick-lipped  flat-nosed  Africans. 
They  have  tents  spread  over  the  upper  rear  deck ;  these 
are  the  harems  where  they  keep  their  wives  and  con- 
cubines while  en  route.  I  am  told  one  of  these  fellows 
has  three  women  in  that  small  tent  or  harem,  another 
five  in  a  somewhat  larger  one,  and  in  that  large  tent 
which  is  about  eight  feet  wide  by  twelve  or  fourteen 
feet  long  there  are  fifteen  women.  You  will  notice 
they  don't  laugh  and  talk  as  much  as  our  women.  If 
you  had  that  many  American  women  shut  in  a  harem 
like  that  it  would  not  be  two  hours  until  they  would 
organize  themselves  into  a  Woman's  Rights  Conven- 
tion, or  a  W.  C.  T.  U.,  or  a  Sewing  Bee,  or  an  Aid 
Society,  and  have  a  committee  out  here  collecting 
money  for  some  kind  of  an  enterprise. 

You  see  mats,  blankets  and  thin  mattresses  spread 
upon  the  deck  in  every  available  space,  and  the  men 
sitting  upon  them  with  their  feet  doubled  under  them 
like  so  many  tailors.  Remember,  these  are  oriental 
people,  and,  as  we  will  find  before  leaving  their  country, 
are  entirely  different  in  their  habits,  manners,  customs, 
dress  and  religious  belief  from  the  people  of  our  own 
country.  See  what  a  wonderful  contrast  is  here  pre- 
sented, a  contrast  applicable  to  nations  as  well  as  to 
individuals.  You  see  the  ladies  of  our  country  mixing 
freely  with  the  gentlemen,  their  fellow  travelers,  enjoy- 
ing themselves  in  social  conversation,  in  reading  aloud, 
in  entertaining  the  gentlemen  with  music,  and  engag- 
ing together  in  every  social  enjoyment  common  among 
our  people,  while  the  gentlemen  pay  them  every  respect 
and  attention,  regarding  it  as  a  pleasure  to  do  their 


128  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

bidding,  holding  them  in  high  esteem,  regarding  them 
as  by  far  the  better  part  of  humanity,  treating  them 
under  all  circumstances  as  worthy  not  only  of  confi- 
dence and  esteem,  but  of  superior  consideration  and 
respect.  "Who  but  the  heathen  or  barbarian  can  doubt 
their  purity,  their  fidelity,  their  constancy,  and  our 
indebtedness  to  them  for  the  early  impressions  made  by 
them  upon  the  opening  bud  of  youth,  which  develop 
into  those  high  and  noble  qualities  of  manhood  which 
characterize  the  civilized  Christian  nations  ? 

We  have  an  Egyptian  princess  on  board.  She  is  from 
Constantinople  on  her  way  to  Alexandria,  to  attend 
an  entertainment  to  be  given  by  the  Khedive.  Her 
Highness  is  seasick  and  confined  to  her  stateroom.  It 
appears  that  the  ever  restless  sea  is  no  respecter  of 
persons.  It  makes  all  sick  alike,  the  high,  the  low,  the 
rich,  even  the  millionaire;  the  poor,  even  the  pauper; 
no  matter  of  what  nationality,  no  matter  of  what  race 
or  of  what  color,  nor  what  their  previous  condition,  all 
alike  come  under  its  baneful  influence  and  settle 
promptly  this  claim  made  upon  all  by  the  restless  waves 
of  both  sea  and  ocean.  But,  reader,  let  me  again  revert 
to  the  contrast  in  the  condition  and  appreciation  of 
women  that  is  here  presented  to  us.  In  all  the 
christianized  countries  where  the  social  status  of  women 
is  the  outgrowth  of  the^christian  religion,  inculcating 
refinement,  culture  and  advanced  civilization,  all  of 
which  grow  out  of  a  belief  in,  and  a  practice  of,  the 
teachings  of  Christ,  as  given  us  in  the  New  Testament, 
women  are  placed  upon  a  plane  of  social  equality  with 
man.  The  Bible  being  of  God,  woman  takes  the  posi- 
tion which  God  designed  her  to  occupy.  The  Turk 
and  Arab  have  a  man-made  bible,  and  women  take 


AND  THE   HOLY   LAND.  129 

the  status  in  which  it  places  her.  The  Mohammedan 
bible  or  Koran,  enunciated  by  Mohammed  and  compiled 
by  Abu  Beker,  Mohammed's  successor,  allows  every  man 
four  wives  and  as  many  concubines  as  he  chooses. 
You  see  he  pens  them  in  his  harem  as  we  pen  sheep. 
They  are  regarded  as  chattels.  The  men  marr_y  them 
and  divorce  them  at  will,  and  when  they  appear  in 
public  they  have  their  faces  closely  veiled. 

You  now  see  another  sight  you  perhaps  never  saw 
before.  The  Mohammedans  are  saying  their  noonday 
prayers.  They  first  remove  their  sandals,  wash  their 
hands  and  feet,  spread  down  a  carpet  or  rug,  turn  their 
face  first  to  Mecca,  then  to  the  right,  that  is,  look  over 
the  right  shoulder,  then  over  the  left.  They  do  this  to 
salute  Munkar  and  Nekar,  the  names  of  the  good  and 
bad  angels  which  they  believe  are  ever  with  them  to 
record  their  good  and  bad  deeds.  The  Mohammedans 
believe  they  are  accompanied  by  these  angels  through 
life,  and  that  they  remain  by  their  side  one  night  after 
death.  Their  bible  ( the  Koran )  requires  them  to  pray 
five  times  a  day.  Their  strict  adherence  to  this  relig- 
jous  duty  under  all  circumstances,  regardless  of  envir- 
onments, has  caused  some  one  to  give  expression  to  a 
certain  degree  of  admiration  for  their  fidelity  in  the 
following  lines: 

"Most  honor  to  the  men  of  prayer, 

Whose  mosque  is  in  them  everywhere. 

Who  amid  revel's  wildest  din, 

In  war's  severest  discipline, 

On  rolling  deck,  in  thronged  bazaar, 

In  stranger  lands  however  far, 

However  different  in  their  reach 

Of  thought,  in  manners,  dress  or  speech, 

Will  quietly  their  carpet  spread, 

To  Mecca  turn  their  humble  head, 

And  as  if  blind  to  all  around, 

And  deaf  to  each  distracting  sound, 


130  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

In  ritual  language  God  adore, 
In  spirit  to  his  presence  soar, 
And  in  the  pauses  of  the  prayer 
Best  as  if  wrapped  in  glory  there." 

Before  we  have  gotten  through  our  travels  in  Egypt, 
Palestine,  Syria,  Turkey,  etc.,  we  will  have  opportuni- 
ties of  observing  the  truth  of  this  in  every  particular. 
You  see  now  on  this  rolling  deck  they 

"Quietly  their  carpet  spread, 
To  Mecca  humbly  turn  the  head, 
And  as  if  blind  to  all  around,  etc.  " 

Don't  you  see  that  old  black  ugly  negro  there,  dressed 
so  that  you  could  not  tell  whether  he  was  a  she,  or  she 
was  a  he,  so  far  as  the  dress  would  indicate  the  sex?  But 
we  know  it  to  be  a  man,  because  the  women  are  all  in 
the  harems.  Now  you  see  him  going  through  his 
devotions  while  his  traveling  companions  all  around 
him  are  engaged  in  various  ways,  some  eating,  others 
talking,  others  smoking,  and  a  large  number  stretched 
out  full  length  on  their  scanty  bedding.  Nothing 
short  of  a  stroke  of  lightning  could  stop  that  fellow  or 
make  him  waver  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty.  If  a 
hissing  serpent  were  within  six  inches  of  his  head,  or  if 
the  alarm  of  fire,  or  an  order  to  "man  the  life-boats, 
we  are  sinking "  be  heard,  that  man  would  finish 
his  devotions  before  he  moved.  I  say  this  because 
Omar,  second  caliph  after  Mohammed,  was  engaged 
in  prayer  when  he  received  a  fatal  stab  from  a 
fire  worshiper,  but  the  historian  tells  us  he  com- 
pleted his  devotions  before  leaving  the  spot.  All  Mos- 
lems follow  this  example.  Nothing  deters  or  distracts 
them  from  a  faithful  discharge  of  duty. 

You  see  after  saluting  the  recording  angels  he  puts 
his  thumbs  to  his  ears  and  spreads  out  his  hands;  he 
then  places  his  hands  to  his  waist  in  front  and  rather 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  131 

to  the  left  side,  then  he  places  them  on  his  thighs, 
bending  forward,  then  he  assumes  the  erect  position, 
then  he  bends  forward  again,  placing  his  hands  upon 
his  thighs  as  before ;  after  this  he  kneels  and  puts  his 
face  upon  the  floor,  then  raises  his  body  up,  continuing 
on  his  knees,  and  again  puts  his  face  to  the  floor,  after 
which  he  rises  to  his  feet.  It  would  seem  that  they 
repeat  a  certain  portion  of  the  prayer  in  each  new 
position,  as  they  retain  each  position  about  the  same 
length  of  time.  "  The  uniformity  and  regularity  of  their 
motions  and  prostrations  remind  one  of  the  move- 
ments of  well  drilled  soldiers."  Now  we  see  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  all  going  through  their  bowing  and 
genuflections  at  the  same  time. 

The  prayer  usually  repeated  by  the  Mohammedans  in 
their  daily  devotions  is  the  first  chapter  or  Sured  of 
the  Koran  ;  it  reads  as  follows :  "  Praise  be  to  God 
the  Lord  of  all  creatures ;  the  most  merciful,  the  King 
of  the  day  of  Judgment.  Thee  do  we  worship  and  of 
thee  do  we  beg  assistance.  Direct  us  in  the  right  way 
of  those  to  whom  thou  hast  been  gracious,  not  of  those 
against  whom  thou  are  incensed,  not  of  those  who 
go  astray."  These  people  regard  this  prayer  some- 
what as  Christians  do  the  Lord's  prayer,  and  repeat  it 
often  in  private  and  in  public.  Their  hours  of  prayer 
are  at  daybreak,  mid-day,  about  an  hour  before  sun- 
set, at  nightfall,  and  about  one  and  a-half  hours  after 
sunset.  1  will  find  time  and  place  to  tell  you  more 
about  this  further  on.  Just  now  I  want  to  call  your 
attention  to  that  group  of  four  eat'ng  out  of  the  same 
vessel.  See  how  they  twist  off  pieces  of  thin-baked 
bread  and  twist  it  so  as  to  make  it  somewhat  the  shape 
of  a  spoon.  Every  fellow  dips  this  into  the  bowl  of 


132  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

gruel  or  porridge,  or  whatever  it  is,  and  eats  with  a 
relish.  They  are  truly  "sopping  with  each  other  in 
the  dish."  When  the  dish  of  gruel  is  too  hot  to  be 
eaten  they  cool  it  by  fanning  it. 

Reader,  you  ask  me  what  route  and  what  course  we 
are  now  traveling  ?  Piraeus,  you  remember,  is  situated 
on  the  eastern  coast  of  the  Saronic  gulf,  opposite  the 
island  of  Salamis.  We  have  been  traveling  a  southeast 
course,  and  the  many  beautiful  islands  through  which 
we  have  passed  belong  to  the.group  called  the  Cyclades. 
Many  of  them  are  little  more  than  barren  rocks,  but 
are  inhabited  by  fishermen ;  the  larger  ones  are  pro- 
ductive, and  are  inhabited  by  husbandmen. 

This  is  quite  a  little  run  we  have  had  ;  it  is  some- 
thing over  five  hundred  miles  from  Piraeus  to  Alexan- 
dria, but  those  of  us  who  had  to  contend  with  the 
winds,  waves  and  storms  of  the  dreaded  Atlantic  are 
prepared  to  call  this  a  nice,  pleasant  voyage.  And 
now,  as  we  come  in  sight  of  Alexandria,  on  the  Egyp- 
tian coast,  our  Egyptian  princess  has  condescended  to 
show  herself  cmd  her  eyes,  for  the  eyes  are  all  of  her 
face  that  can  be  seen,  the  balance  being  covered  with 
a  veil.  It  looks  odd  to  me,  and  I  suppose  it  does  to 
you,  reader  (as  you  are  going  this  trip  with  me),  to  see 
a  pretty,  nice-looking  young  lady  being  waited  upon 
by  a  tall,  lean,  lank,  raw  boned,  black,  African  man. 
He  is  both  a  eunuch  and  unique  man.  I  suppose  this 
is  the  fashion  in  her  country,  and,  you  know,  women 
will  follow  the  fashions,  let  them  be  what  they  may, 
and  it  is  right  and  proper  in  them  to  do  so.  A  woman 
out  of  style  had  as  well  be  out  of  the  world.  I  copy 
the  following  description  of  the  princess  from  my  note- 
book :  "  She  is  of  medium  size,  dressed  in  black,  her 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  133 

« 

dress  made  something  like  a  loose  wrap,  of  fine  mater- 
ial; complexion  very  fair,  hair  and  eyes  black;  her  feat- 
ures (as  well  as  can  be  seen  through  a  thin  veil)  seem 
to  be  regular,  and  would  be  called  pretty.  She  looks 
to  be  not  more  than  eighteen  or  twenty  years  old;  has 
a  fresh,  girlish  appearance."  But  here  come  the  little 
boats  to  take  us  ashore.  Among  them  are  four  very 
fine  ones,  lined  and  cushioned  with  velvet,  and  rowed 
by  slaves  in  uniform.  Three  of  them  have  Moham- 
medan women  in  them,  an  escort  for  the  princess.  The 
boat  in  which  the  princess  goes  ashore  is  richly  and 
handsomely  trimmed  and  decorated,  and  rowed  by  ten 
handsomely  uniformed  but  barefooted  negroes.  All 
four  of  the  boats  have  nice,  tasty  awnings  to  protect 
the  inmates  from  the  heat  of  the  sun,  for  we  will  find 
it  quite  warm  here,  although  it  is  only  the  1st  of  April. 

Of  course,  you  noticed  how  these  Arabs  are  dressed; 
those  big,  loose  pants  with  the  seats  corning  down  below 
the  knees  looking  as  though  they  had  their  yellow 
legs  stuck  out  at  the  corners  of  a  meal  bag,  and  their 
long,  loose  gowns,  like  our  dressing  gowns,  coming 
down  to  theknees,  some  of  them  reaching  to  the  ankles. 
All  wear  slip-shod  slippers  or  sandals  on  their  feet,  and 
fezes  or  turbans  on  their  heads." 

Now,  reader,  here  we  are  at  the  Abbot  hotel  in  old 
Alexandria,  a  city  of  three  hundred  thousand  inhab- 
itants, one  of  eighteen  cities  founded  by  Alexander  the 
Great,  300  B.  C.  The  present  city,  however,  does  not 
occupy  the  same  site  as  the  old ;  but  little  of  the  old 
city  is  left  to  .mark  the  locality  where  it  stood.  "  The 
first  inhabitants  of  Alexandria  were  a  mixture  of 
Egyptians  and  Greeks,  to  whom  must  be  added  numer- 
ous colonies  of  Jews,  transplanted  thither  in  336  to  320 


TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

and  312  B.  C.  to  increase  the  population  of  the  city.  It 
was  they  who  made  the  well-known  Greek  translation 
of  the  Old  Testament  under  the  name  of  Septuaginta 
or  the  Septuagint." 

We  will  find  but  few  things  here  to  interest  us.  The 
first  to  which  we  will  -go  is  Pompey's  pillar.  This 
pillar  is  of  red  granite  from  Assuan,  which  is  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  up  the  Nile,  above  Cairo,  near 
which  place  is  found  the  only  quarry  where  this  pecu- 
liar species  of  granite  is  to  be  found.  It  is  a  mixture 
of  red,  blue  and  white,  admits  of  a  high  polish  and 
makes  a  handsome  shaft.  This  pillar  has  withstood 
exposure  to  the  elements  for  many  centuries,  and  looks 
like  it  could  stand  as  many  more  without  injury.  The 
height  of  the  column,  including  the  pedestal  and  Cor- 
inthian capital,  is  one  hundred  and  four  feet.  It  is 
about  nine  feet  in  diameter  below  and  eight  above.  It 
is  well  proportioned  and  so  located  that  it  makes  a  good 
appearance.  "  This  handsome  column  does  not  derive 
its  name  from  Pompey  the  Great  who  was  murdered 
on  the  Egyptian  coast,  having  been  defeated  by  Ca3sar 
at  the  battle  of  Pharsalia.  He  sought  an  asylum  in 
the  territory  of  his  wards,  but  on  landing  in  Egypt  was 
slain  at  the  instigation  of  Ptolemy.  The  most  reliable 
historians  state  that  it  derives  its  name  from  the  Pre- 
fect Pompeius,  who,  according  to  the  inscription  (on 
the  column),  erected  it  in  honor  of  the  "  TJnconquered 
Diocletian,  the  defender  of  the  city  of  Alexandria." 
There  is  no  ground  for  supposing  that  this  column  once 
bore  the  brazen  horse,  which  the  citizens  are  said  to 
have  erected  as  a  token  of  gratitude  to  Diocletian. 
After  that  emperor  had  besieged  Alexandria  for  eight 
months  and  had  destroyed  the  water  works,  he  at  length 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  135 

took  the  city  and  slew  the  usurper,  Achilleus  (accord- 
ing to  the  popular  story);  he  then  commanded  his  sol- 
diery to  massacre  the  seditious  populace  until  their  blood 
should  reach  his  horse's  knees.  His  horse  soon  after 
stumbled  over  a  dead  body  and  wetted  his  knees  in 
human  blood,  whereupon  the  emperor  was  pleased  to 
regard  this  as  a  sign  that  the  unhappy  citizens  had  been 
sufficiently  chastised.  Out  of  gratitude,  particularly 
to  the  horse,  they  are  said  to  have  erected  the  brazen 
horse  which  was  known  as  that  of  Diocletian.  That 
the  horse  did  not,  however,  occupy  the  summit  of  the 
column  is  proved  by  an  ancient  illustrated  plan  of 
Alexandria,  in  which  Pompey's  pillar  is  represented 
with  a  figure  of  a  man  on  top.  The  inscription,  more- 
over, indicates  that  the  column  was  erected  by  Pom- 
peius  II,  whose  prefecture  did  not  begin  till  A.  D.  302 ; 
whereas,  the  defeat  and  death  of  Achilleus  took  place 
about  296.  The  column  has,  therefore,  no  connection 
with  the  story  of  the  brazen  horse,  but  was  probably 
erected  chiefly  in  commemoration  of  a  gift  of  corn 
(wheat)  presented  by  Diocletian  to  the  citizens  during 
a  period  of  scarcity 

Now,  reader,  I  have  given  you  the  history  of  this 
magnificent  column  as  it  is  given  by  the  best  author- 
ities upon  this  subject.  Alexandria,  from  a  historical 
standpoint,  is  an  exceedingly  interesting  city,  but 
there  are  but  few  things  here  now  worthy  of  our  atten- 
tion. Caracalla,  emperor  of  Rome  A.  D.  211,  visited 
Alexandria  during  his  reign,  and  having  attracted  all 
the  male  population  capable  of  bearing  arms  to  one 
spot  he  caused  them  to  be  massacred.  This  was  done 
to  weaken  their  powers  of  defense.  It  was  here  that 
the  Saracens,  at  the  command  of  Caliph  Omar  in  A.  D. 


136  TEAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

642,  burned  the  largest  and  most  valuable  library  then 
in  the  world.  It  is  said  he  asked  if  there  was  anything 
in  the  library  which  was  not  found  in  the  Koran.  If 
so,  he  said,  it  ought  to  be  burned.  And  if  there  was 
nothing  in  the  library  but  what  could  be  found  in  the 
Koran  it  ought  to  be  burned.  Some  historians  say  a 
large  part  of  this  valuable  library  was  burned  during 
the  siege  of  Alexandria  by  Julius  Caesar,  but  the  fact 
is  this  loss  was  replaced  by  the  library  of  Pergamus 
which  Anthony  presented  to  Cleopatra. 

Mohammed  Ali  improved  Alexandria  by  constructing 
a  canal  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  in  length.  By 
means  of  this  canal  fresh  water  was  conducted  to  the 
city  from  the  Rosetta  branch  of  the  Nile.  It  also 
afforded  the  means  of  irrigating  the  adjoining  lands, 
and  connected  Alexandria  with  the  Nile  and  the  rest 
of  Egypt.  The  work  of  making  the  canal  was  begun 
in  1819,  employing  no  fewer  than  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  laborers.  Cleopatra's  needle,  which  vied 
with  Pompey's  pillar  in  general  interest  as  a  monu- 
ment of  antiquity,  was  presented  to  the  city  of  New 
York  by  Khedive  Ismail,  and  is  now  a  prominent  feat- 
ure in  Central  Park.  A  companion  of  this  that  lay 
by  the  side  of  Cleopatra's  needle  covered  in  the  sand 
for  centuries  now  adorns  the  Thames  embankment  at 
London.  Both  were  brought  from  Heliopolis  to 
Alexandria. 

Before  leaving  this  city  with  whose  history  many 
distinguished  men  are  associated,  I  will  call  your  atten- 
tion briefly  to  three  :  Apollos.  who  at  one  time  was 
regarded  by  some  as  a  greater  preacher  than  St.  Paul 
or  Peter,  and  who,  it  is  now  believed,  wrote  the  book 
of  Hebrews,  was  born  at  this  place.  "  John  Mark,  a 


AND    THE   HOLY   LAND.  137 

bright  young  man,  preached  here,  whom  God  inspired 
in  after  years  to  write  one  of  the  gospels."  Then  it  is 
said  Alexander  the  Great,  who  founded  the  city  and 
gave  it  his  name,  although  he  died  in  Babylon,  was 
removed  here  for  burial.  He  was  the  man  of  whom  it 
was  said,  "at  the  age  of  thirty-three,  having  conquered 
all  known  nations,  wept  because  there  were  no  more 
worlds  to  conquer."  John  Mark  about  the  same  period 
of  life  was  giving  the  world  a  mathematical  problem 
which  has  never  been  solved  :  "  What  shall  it  profit  a 
man  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own 
soul?"  This  is  a  question  which  eternity  alone  can 
answer.  There  is  no  doubt  but  that  Alexander  was 
great  in  human  exploits,  nor  is  there  any  doubt  but 
what  Apollos  was  "  mighty  in  the  scriptures."  Alex- 
ander shed  rivers  of  human  blood,  Apollos  "turned 
many  to  righteousness;"  which  did  the  world  the 
greater  good  ? 

Reader,  we  will  not  consume  any  more  time  at  this 
place,  as  we  will  find  many  more  things  new  to  us,  and 
of  more  interest,  in  traveling  across  the  far-famed  valley 
of  the  Nile,  than  we  can  find  by  riding  over  this  old  city. 
So  we  will  be  off  to  the  depot.  There  is  no  country  in 
the  world  that  is  furnishing  us  with  more  interesting 
history  of  the  long  ages  past  than  the  country  we  are  now 
in.  "  There  is  no  people  in  the  world  whose  history  is 
traceable  to  so  remote  a  period  as  that  of  the  people  in 
whose  country  we  now  propose  to  spend  a  short  time." 
It  is  true,  this  history  was  a  sealed  book  to  other  nations 
for  many  long  centuries,  but  it  was  chiseled  in  stone, 
burned  in  clay,  or  written  on  leather  or  scrolls  of 
papyrus,  and  much  of  it  lay  buried  beneath  the  sand  of 
the  desert,  hermetically  sealed,  and  preserved  in  such  a 


138  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

state  of  perfection  as  to  challenge  the  admiration  of 
all  who  are  permitted  to  behold  it.  How  far  back  in 
the  annals  of  the  past  this  history  carries  us,  is  a 
question  which  has  not  yet  been  authentically  answered, 
for  the  whole  book  has  not  as  yet  been  found ;  but  year 
by  year  new  items  and  new  facts  are  being  brought  to 
light,  and  the  links  of  the  chain  are  being  put  together 
slowly,  but  surely,  and  we  hope  and  may  reasonably 
expect  before  many  more  years  the  earnest,  indefati- 
gable laborers  in  this  field  of  science  will  be  able  to  give 
to  the  world  a  complete  volume,  containing  a  connected 
history  of  this  wonderful  people,  reaching  back  to  a 
period  of  time  that  now  seems  almost  incredible. 
In  truth,  when  compared  by  the  standards  of  Jewish 
and  Christian  chronographers,  the  remote  dates  with 
which  Egyptian  chronology  now  deals  seems  unreal, 
particularly  when  compared  with  the  conjectural  date 
of  the  creation,  which  date,  however,  is  acknowledged 
to  be  in  a  great  measure  conjectural,  for  inspiration 
tells  us  that  "In  the  beginning,  God  created  the 
.  heaven  and  the  earth,"  and  no  man  knoweth  when 

that  beginning  was.  There Hs  no  data  given  by  which 
man  can  fix  a  period  of  time  from  which  to  estimate  or 
even  approximate  the  cycles,  of  time  that  intervene 
between  the  beginning  and  now.  The  beginning  is  but 
a  point  marked  by  the  finger  of  God  on  the  unending 
cycle  of  eternity.  God  says,  uln  the  beginning ; "  who 
knows  what  that  means,  or  to  what  it  refers  ?  It  may 
mean  the  beginning  of  time,  as  time  relates  to  this 
earth,  or  it  may  mean  the  beginning  of  his  omnipotent 
creative  power,  when  he  spake  into  existence  the 
elements  of  the  world  "  without  form  and  void."  The 
answer  I  find  to  this  and  many  other  mysteries  which 


AND  THE    HOLY   LAND.  139 

are  all  around,  about,  and  in  us,  is  "  that  hidden  things 
belong  to  God;  revealed  things  to  us  and  to  our  children." 

When  we  come  to  speak  of  Egypt  we  can  but  repeat 
the  language  of  Herodotus  who  said  456  years  before 
the  Christian  era  "  that  Egypt  contains  more  wonders 
than  any  other  land,  and  is  pre-eminent  above  all 
countries  in  the  world  for  works  that  one  can  hardly 
describe."  That  is  equally  true  now.  You  see  and 
wonder,  but  find  it  hard  to  describe. 

From.  Alexandria  to  Cairo  is  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles.  The  width  of  the  Nile  valley  varies  from  ten 
to  thirty -six  miles.  Our  route,  therefore,  does  not  go 
straight  across  the  valley,  but  we  go  a  southeast  course, 
which  carries  us  up  the  Nile  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
or  more  above  its  outlet  into  the  Mediterranean. 

We  find  the  following  prophecies  standing  recorded 
against  the  ancient  Egyptians:  "  Egypt  shall  be  the 
basest  of  kingdoms,  neither  shall  it  exalt  itself  any 
more  among  the  nations.  The  pride  of  her  power 
shall  come  down  and  they  shall  be  desolate  in  the 
midst  of  the  countries  that  are  desolate,  and  her  cities 
shall  be  wasted  in  the  midst  of  the  cities  that  are  wasted. 
I  will  sell  the  land  into  the  hand  of  the  wicked,  I  will 
make  the  land  waste  and  all  that  is  therein  by  the  hand 
of  strangers.  And  there  shall  be  no  more  a  prince  of  the 
land  of  Egypt/' 

These  prophecies  have  been  construed  by  some  as 
referring  in  part  to  the  land  of  Egypt.  I  differ  with 
them  in  opinion,  however.  Every  clause  of  the  prophecy 
refers  to  Egypt  as  a  nation.  The  tribes  of  ancient 
Egypt  were  consolidated  into  a  nation  four  or  five 
thousand  years  before  the  Christian  era  by  Menes,  and 
Egypt  was  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and  cultivated 


14:0  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

nations  of  the  earth  for  thousands  of  years  before  these 
prophecies  were  uttered.  To  Egypt  as  a  nation  the 
predictions  have  been  faithfully  and  literally  fulfilled 
in  every  particular.  Egypt  as  a  nation  has  been  debased, 
nbr  can  it  ever  exalt  itself  again  among  the  nations. 
Its  glory  has  forever  departed.  The  pride  of  her 
power  has  come  down,  fallen,  crushed,  and  will  forever 
remain  so,  and  they  as  a  nation,  as  a  people,  are  deso- 
late. And  her  cities  shall  be  wasted.  Where  is 
Thebes?  The  jackals  have  their  dens  amid  her 
majestic  columns  and  beneath  her  sacred  altars.  Where 
is  Memphis  ?  Buried  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  beneath 
the  mud  of  the  Nile,  not  only  dead,  but  buried,  and  its 
site  so  far  lost  that  one  hundred  years  ago  its 
grave  was  not  known.  The  birds  sing  merry  songs 
from  the  palms  that  wave  their  feathery  foliage  over 
the  grave  of  this  once  renowned  city.  Where  is 
Heliopolis,  the  city  of  the  Sun?  Where  Bubastis? 
Where  Tanis?  Buried  beneath  the  sands  of  the  desert. 
Owls  hoot  over  the  palaces  of  the  Pharaohs,  and  the 
summer  breezes  sing  requiems  through  once  renowned 
temples.  It  is  true  that  no  prince  has  sat  upon  the 
throne  since  Ezekiel's  prophecy  was  fulfilled. 

Egypt,  as  the  nationality  referred  to,  has  fallen  and 
will  only  exist  in  the  historj7  of  the  past.  But  as  a 
country,  its  resources  are  untold.  Though  a  small 
country  and  poorly  tilled-,  yet  its  exports  amount  to 
ninety  millions  of '  dollars  annually.  Its  area  of  culti- 
vable lands  has  remained  unaltered  since  the  remotest 
'antiquity  and  comprises  only  about  eleven  thousand 
three  hundred  and  fifty  square  miles,  as  given  by  one 
writer,  and  five  thousand  five  hundred  geographical 
square  miles,  as  given  by  another.  The  difference  must 


AND   THE   HOLY    LA.ND.  141 

be  in  their  way  of  computation,  and  not  in  the  area  of 
arable  land. 

It  has  one  of  the  most  magnificent  bodies  of  land  in 
the  known  world,  the  only  valley  whose  river  irri- 
gates and  fertilizes  it  annually  so  that  age  has  never 
impaired  its  productiveness. 

"  The  valley  of  the  Nile  from  Khartoum  to  the 
Delta,  although  from  its  great  length  (fifteen  degrees 
of  latitude)  necessarily  possessing  great  varieties  of 
climate,  forms  one  unbroken  tract  of  country,  the  fer 
tilizing  soil  of  which  is  brought  down  by  the  Blue  Nile 
from  the  Abyssinian  mountains." 

ftof  inundations  of  the  Nile  are  therefore  dependent* 
on  the  rainfall  among  the  Abyssinian  mountains.     For 
that  which  falls  in  central  Africa  is  more  constant  and 
uniform  in  quantity,  being  regulated  by  the  influence 
of  the  trade-winds. 

The  annual  rise  in  the  Nile  varies  only  a  few  days 
from  year  to  year  in  its  advent.  The  rise  always 
begins  about  the  first  of  June  and  swells  slowly  until 
about  the  middle  of  July,  when  the  rise  becomes  more 
rapid.  Towards  the  last  of  September  it  comes  to  a 
standstill  and  remains  so  for  about  two  weeks.  Then 
it  rises  again  and  reaches  its  highest  level,  some  time 
about  the  middle  of  October,  after  which  time  it  grad- 
ualty  subsides,  slowly  but  steadily  for  a  time  and  then 
more  rapidly  until  it  reaches  low  water-mark. 

This  annual  excess  of  water  is  not  allowed  to  over- 
flow the  banks  of  the  Nile  and  spread  itself  over  the 
valley  as  it  gets  higher  and  higher,  as  rivers  usually 
do  in  our  country.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  conducted 
into  a  vast  network  of  reservoirs  and  canals,  and  dis- 
tributed as  required.  Special  engineers  superintend 


142  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

these  canals  and  reservoirs,  keeping  them  always  in 
order  and  directing  the .  distribution  of  the  water.  In 
January,  February  and  March  the  fields  from  which 
the  water  has  been  drained  gradually  dry,  the  river 
reaching  its  lowest  level  the  last  of  April  or  first  of 
May. 

Reader,  while  we  are  being  carried  over  this  favored 
land  at  the  rate  of  forty  or  fifty  miles  per  hour,  you 
will  notice  that  every  mile  or  so  we  cross  one  of  the 
canals  referred  to,  and  as  far  as  eye  can  reach  you  see 
every  acre  of  land  producing  an  abundant  harvest. 
While  we  are  looking  at  this  lovely  valley  and  enjoy- 
ing the  sight  of  many  new  and  novel  things  to  be  seen 
nowhere  else,  I  will  tell  you  something  more  about 
this  strange  land. 

In  the  time  of  Herodotus  (450  B.  C.)  a  depth  of 
sixteen  cubits  or  twenty-one  and  a  half  feet  of  water 
in  the  Nile  was  sufficient  for  irrigation.  .  When  at 
Rome  we  saw  a  statue  of  the  goddess  of  the  Nile  in  the 
Vatican  represented  as  surrounded  by  sixteen  children, 
each  child  representing  a  cubit  rise  of  water  in  the 
river.  The  depth  of  water  now  necessary  to  inundate 
the  lowlands  or  such  as  are  irrigated  by  the  rise  of  the 
river  is  twenty-three  cubits  two  inches,  or  forty-one 
feet  two  inches.  These  figures  apply  to  the  river  at 
Cairo.  A  single  cubit  more  is  apt  to  cause  terrible 
devastation  by  inundating  that  portion  of  the  valley 
lying  between  the  Damietta  and  Rosetta  rivers  (out- 
lets of  the  Nile  below  Cairo)  and  other  lands  which  are 
destined  for  the  autumn  crop ;  while  a  deficiency  of 
two  cubits  causes  drought  and  a  famine. 

These  inundations  not  only  saturate  the  ground  suf- 
ficiently for  the  remaining  moisture  to  admit  of  the 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  143 

ripening  of  the  crops  without  additional  irrigation,  but 
a  stratum  of  mud  several  inches  in  thickness  is  deposited 
by  the  water.  The  ground  is  seldom  prepared  for 
sowing  by  being  plowed.  The  seed  is  scattered  or 
sown  over  the  ground  while  it  is  still  soft  and  moist, 
and  pressed  into  it  by  means  of  a  wooden  roller,  or 
beaten  into  it  by  paddles,  or  trodden  in  by  oxen. 
This  planting  of  the  winter  crop  is  done  at  different 
times  of  the  season.  The  higher  up  the  valley  you  go 
the  sooner  in  the  season  the  water  subsides  and  gets 
later  as  you  go  down.  In  upper  Egypt  seed-time 
begins  as  early  as  the  middle  of  October ;  in  central 
Egypt,  i.  e.,  from  Sin  to  Cairo,  at  the  beginning  of 
November  ;  in  the  Delta  about  the  end  of  December. 
The  winter  crop,  which  is  the  largest  crop  grown  in  this 
country,  consists  of  bearded  wheat,  barley,  clover  and 
beans. 

It  is  estimated  that  there  is- some  four  and  a  half 
million  acres  of  land  in  central  and  lower  Egypt  which 
are  above  high  water-mark ;  that  is,  the  water  can  not 
be  turned  on  them  from  the  reservoirs,  and  to  be  made 
available  for  agricultural  purposes  the  water  neces- 
sary for  its  irrigation  has  to  be  raised  by  water- 
mills. 

These  mills  are  exceedingly  rude  affairs  and  consist 
of  one  large  horizontal  wheel,  which  turns  another 
perpendicular  to  the  first,  over  which  a  rope  or 
band  runs  with  wooden  or  clay  buckets  attached  every 
two  or  three  feet,  which  bring  up  the  water  and,  as 
the}7  pass  over  the  wheel,  discharge  it  into  a  prepared 
reservoir.  They  are  made  on  the  same  principle  as  that 
by  which  water  drawn  from  a  cistern  with  an  endless 
chain  with  tin  cups  attached. 


144  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

X" 

These  mills  are  erected  on  mounds  of  the  requisite 
elevation  to  conduct,  the  water  into  the  reservoirs. 
There  are  more  than  fifty  thousand  of  these  water- 
mills  in  this  valley  giving  employment  to  one  hundred 
thousand  persons,  and  requiring  two  hundred  thousand 
workstock  to  keep  them  running.  Yonder  you  may 
see  some  men  raising  water  witha  basket  made  of  rushes 
of  oblong  shape,  two  ropes  are  attached  to  its  ends. 
It  is  made  broad  and  shallow,  somewhat  the  shape  of 
a  tray.  The  men  stand  on  either  side  of  a  narrow 
ditch  leading  out  from  the  canal,  each  holding  an  end 
of  the  ropes.  They  swing  the  basket  between  them, 
dipping  it  into  the  water,  and  by  a  dexterous  motion 
pour  it  into  the  reservoir  or  irrigating  ditch. 

The  rain-fall  in  central  Egypt  averages  about  one 
and  a  half  inches  per  annum,  an  amount  wholly  insuffi- 
cient for  making  crops. 

The  summer  crops  are  much  more  varied  than  those 
of  winter,  comprising  maize  (Indian  corn),  rice,  sor- 
ghum, cotton,  ramie  indigo,  lentels,  peas,  etc. 

Throughout  the  whole  of  Egypt  a  period  of  four 
months  elapses  between  seed-time  and  harvest.  The 
lands  are  owned  by  the  government  and  the  tillers  of 
the  soil  are  life-time  renters. 

Besides  the  articles  mentioned  above  there  are  many 
other  farm  products  grown  in  Egypt,  such  as  hemp, 
tobacco,  castor  beans,  poppies  (for  the  manufacture  of 
opium),  most  all  kinds  of  garden  products,  also  dye 
stuffs.  Henna  is  used  in  Egypt  and  Palestine  by  the 
peasant  women  for  dyeing  their  nails,  the  palms  of  their 
hands  and  soles  of  the  feet  a  yellowish  red. 

It  is  now  March,  and  we  see  the  fellahin  (tillers  of 
the  soil),  as  they  are  called,  harvesting  the  winter  crop. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  145 

You  see  them  cutting  the  wheat  and  barley  with  the 
old-fashioned  reaping  hook  or  sickle.  Some  are  pulling 
it  up  by  the  roots.  They  load  it  on  donkeys  and 
camels, and  in  this  way  carry  it  to  market.  They  have 
no  wagons — they  would  not  know  how  to  use  them  if 
they  had.  This  people  carry  on  their  farming  oper- 
ations and  till  the  soil  with  the  same  implements  their 
forefathers  did  five  thousand  years  ago.  They  have 
what  they  call  the  Norag,  or  threshing  sledge,  which 
consists  of  a  kind  of  sledge  resting  on  a  roller  provided 
with  sharp  semicircular  pieces  of  iron  and  drawn  by 
oxen  or  buffaloes.  This  sledge  crushes  the  stalks  and 
ears  and-  sets  free  the  grain  or  seeds.  The  grain  is 
then  freed  from  the  chaff  by  winding,  as  I  have  seen 
done  in  this  country  in  my  boyhood  days. 

Reader,  you  say  you  see  no  farm-houses,  or  cribs,  or 
barns  scattered  over  this  fertile  valley.  No,  but  you 
see  every  now  and  then  a  village  built  upon  some 
elevated  piece  of  ground.  These  tillers  of  the  soil  or 
fellahin  live  in  these  villages.  Their  houses  are  built 
of  sun-dried  brick  which  in  time  melt  and  crumble 
down.  Soon  another  is  erected  on  the  site  of  the  old, 
and  that  is  what  makes  the  mounds  or  elevated 
plateaus  of  land  upon  which  the  villages  are  built.  You 
must  remember  this  process  of  building  and  re-build- 
ing on  the  same  locality  has  been  going  on  for-  thou- 
sands of  years.  Many  of  these  mounds  cover  ancient 
cities  and  temples.  Their  houses  are  covered  with  old 
pieces  of  matting,  straw,  dirt,  sorghum  stalks,  etc. ; 
every  family  having  only  one  room  with  a  single  door 
and  a  small  square  window  put  high  up  in  the  wall. 
They  have  no  furniture  of  any  description,  neither 
table  nor  bedstead.  They  sleep  on  the  floor  of  the  hut 


146  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

on  a  mat,  sheep  or  goat  skins,  or  some  old,  worn-out 
garment. 

Wood,  in  Egypt,  as  it  is  in  Palestine,  is  very  scarce, 
and  the  peasants  have  to  use  the  excrement  of  animals 
for  making  fires  to  cook  with.  The  fire  is  built  in  the 
middle  or  to  one  side  of  the  room,  and  a  hole  left  in  the 
roof  for  the  escape  of  the  smoke.  The  poorer  peas- 
ants' mode  of  living  is  poor  indeed.  The  staple  of  his 
food  consists  of  a  peculiar  kind  of  bread  made  of  flour 
of  sorghum  seed ;  wheaten  bread  being  eaten  alone  by 
the  wealthier  classes.  Sometimes  this  sorghum  flour 
is  mixed  with  bean  flour,  which  gives  the  bread  a  green- 
ish color.  Next  in  importance  in  the  bill  pf  fare  is 
broad  beans  called  "  f  ul."  Their  supper,  which  they 
regard  as  the  principal  meal  of  the  day,  usually  consists 
of  a  highly  salted  sauce  made  of  onions  and  butter  or 
of  onions  and  linseed  oil ;  into  this  sauce  they  put  various 
kinds  of  herbs.  When  eating,  each  member  of  the 
family  dips  into  the  wooden  bowl  pieces  of  bread  held 
in  the  fingers,  and  eats  with  a  relish.  The  milk  of  the 
buffalo,  goat  or  sheep  is  also  an  article  of  food  both  in 
town  and  country.  The  milk  is  churned  by  being  put 
in  a  goatskin  bag  and  hung  up  and  turned  about  to 
agitate  the  milk. 

The  population  to  Egypt  is  about  seven  million,  or 
abouj,  four  to  six  hundred  to  the  square  mile,  and  is, 
therefore,  denser  than  that  of  most  European  states, 
and  composed  of  the  following  ten  different  elements: 
First,  the  fellahin  (singular  fellah),  the  "tillers-' or 
"  peasants,"  form  the  bulk  of  the  population  and 
may  be  regarded  as  the  sinews  of  national  strength. 
Second,  the  Copts,  the  legitimate  descendants  of  the 
ancient  Egyptians.  Third,  the  Bedouins,  a  name 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  147 

applied  to  the  roving  or  nomadic  Arabs.  They  differ 
materially  from  the  village  dwelling  Arabs  and  from 
the  fellahin,  who  usually  called  themselves  "  sons  of 
the  Arabs."  Then  there  are  a  great  many  sub-divi- 
sions of  the  Beduins.  Then  there  are  the  Arabian 
dwellers  in  towns  who  are  manufacturers  and  shop- 
keepers, servants,  donkey  attendants,  coachmen,  etc. 
Fifth,  Berbers Berberi,  singular;  Barabra,  plural.  The 
word  denotes,  "  non-Egyptians,  to  be  unable  to  speak  or 
speak  imperfectly."  The  Berbers  of  North  Africa 
and  the  town  of  Berber  in  South  Nubia  doubtless  have 
the  same  origin.  Sixth,  negroes.  This  element  of  the 
Egyptian  population  was  first  brought  into  Egypt  as 
slaves.  They  are  distinct  from  and  are  wholly  unmixed 
with  the  other  elements.  Seventh,  Turks.  The  difference 
between  the  Turks  and  Arabs  is  one  of  locality.  The 
Turks  come  from  the  northern  provinces  of  Turkey  and 
the  Arabs  from  the  southern,  just  as  our  northern 
brethren  are  called  "  yankees  "  and  the  southern  people 
called  "  rebels."  Eighth,  the  Levantines ;  a  link  between 
the  various  classes  of  dwellers  in  Egypt  and  the  visitors 
to  the  banks  of  the  Nile  is  formed  by  the  members  of 
the  various  Mediterranean  races  known  as  Levantines, 
who  have  been  settled  here  for  several  generations. 
Ninth,  Armenians  and  Jews.  The  Armenians  are  gen- 
erally a  bright,  intelligent  people.  Many  of  them  are 
weathy  goldsmiths  and  jewelers,  and  they  often  hold 
important  government  offices.  The  Jews  are  readily 
recognized  by  their  peculiar  cast  of  features  and  their 
red  hair.  Most  of  them  are  from  Palestine,  but  recently 
many  of  them  have  imigrated  from  Wallachia.  All,  or 
nearly  all,  of  the  money  changers  whom  we  see  sitting 
in  the  streets  of  the  oriental  cities,  as  well  as  the 


148  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

wealthiest  merchants  in  Egypt,  are  Jews.  Tenth,  Euro- 
peans. The  number  of  Europeans  in  Egypt  is  about 
eighty  thousand,  comprising  Greeks,  Italians,  French, 
English,  Austrians  and  Germans. 

The  Fellahin  are  a  medium-sized  people,  they  never 
grow  fat,  and  are  a  dark  copper  color.  They  keep  their 
heads  shaved  and  for  dress  wear  long  shirts,  indigo 
dyed,  nothing  more ;  in  hot  weather,  less.  They  are 
Mohammedans. 

The  Copts  are  a  smaller  and  a  fairer  complexioned 
people  than  the  Fellahin.  They  are  distinguished 
from  the  latter  by  their  darker  clothes  and  dark  turban. 
They  are  classed  as  Christians. 

The  Bedouins,as  the  name  implies,  are  a  restless,roving 
people  who  live  in  tents  made  of  black  goat's  hair  cloth. 
They  are  of  somewhat  darker  complexion  than  the 
peasant  Arab,  and  dress  in  the  long-bodied  Joose  trousers 
and  long  gown.  They  are  Mohammedans. 

The  Negroes  are  coarser  or  larger  featured  and  far 
uglier  than  the  negroes  here,  and  blacker  than  the 
blackest.  Many  of  them  remain  in  slavery  through 
choice.  They  are  Mohammedans. 

The  Levantines  are  almost  white,  apt  to  learn,  and 
are  largely  employed  as  shopkeepers,  clerks,  etc.  They 
are  Latin  and  Greek  Catholics. 

You  see,  reader,  that  of  the  seven  millions  of  the 
population  of  Egypt  at  least  six  million  are  Mohammed- 
ans. But  as  we  ate  now  drawing  near  Cairo,  we  will 
resume  our  conversation  after  reaching  our  hotel. 


SOUDAN  AFRICAN. 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

NOW,  reader,  here  we  are  in  the  city  of  the 
Caliphs,  and  before  we  go  out  for  a  ride  let  me  read 
you  this  little  piece  of  history:  "  When  Egypt  was  con- 
quered by  Cambyses,  525  B.  C.,  the  Babylonians  are  said 
to  have  founded  new  Babylon  on  the  site  now  occupied 
by  old  Cairo,  and  during  the  Roman  period  that  city 
became  the  headquarters  of  one  of  the  three  legions 
stationed  in  Egypt.  In  A.  D.  638  New  Babylon  was 
captured  by  the  general  of  Caliph  Omar,  and  when  he 
started  on  his  victorious  progress  toward  Alexandria 
he  commanded  the  tent  he  had  occupied  during  the 
siege  to  be  taken  down;  as  it  was  discovered,  however, 
that  a  pigeon  had  built  her  nest  upon  it,  the  general 
ordered  the  tent  to  be  left  standing  until  the  young 
birds  should  take  wing.  After  the  capture  of  Alexan- 
dria, Amru,  Omar's  general,  requested  the  Caliph  to 
allow  him  to  take  up  his  residence  there.  Omar  refused 
to  accord  permission,  as  Alexandria  appeared  to  him  to 
be  rife  with  elements  of  discord,  and,  moreover,  too  far 
distant  from  the  center  of  the  conquered  country  to  be 
suitable  for  his  capital.  Amru  accordingly  returned  to 
his  tent,  around  which  his  adherents  encamped.  A  new 
city  thus  gradually  sprung  up,  and  the  name  of  Fostat 
continued  to  be  applied  to  it  in  memory  of  its  origin." 
Under  the  Fatimite  sovereigns  of  Egypt,  who  reigned 
from  961  to  11YO  A.  D.,  the  modern  city  of  Cairo  was 
built  adjacent  to  the  old.  Cairo  now  has  a  population 
of  about  four  hundred  thousand.  It  is  situated  on  the 
right  or  east  bank  of  the  Nile,  about  nine  miles  above 

149 


150  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

the  point  where  it  divides  into  the  Rosetta  and  Dami- 
etta  arms.  It  has  been  styled  "  the  jewel  on  the  handle 
of  the  fan  of  the  Delta."  The  city  covers'  an  area  of 
eleven  square  miles,  and  on  the  east  side  of  it  the 
Mokattam  hills  rise  to  a  height  of  six  hundred  and  fifty 
feet,  forming  the  commencement  of  the  eastern  desert. 
The  city  was  originally  built  some  distance  from  the 
river,  and  Bulak  was  its  harbor,  but  it  has  now  extended 
so  far  west  that  it  reaches  the  bank  of  the  river  and 
includes  Bulak.  It  is  now  the  largest  city  on  the  con- 
tinent of  Africa,  and  one  that  interests  the  traveler  as 
much  as  any  city  in  the  world. 

Before  going  out  on  the  streets  let  me  say  to  you 
that  you  thought  yourself  besieged  by  beggars  in 
Naples,  but  I  can  assure  you  that  they  were  not  a  cir- 
cumstance to  what  you  will  have  to  contend  with 
here.  Here  you  will  hear  for  the  first  time  the  word 
"  bakhshish,"  which  will  be  sounded  in  your  ears  by 
every  Arab  man,  woman  and  child  with  whom  you 
meet,  no  matter  where  you  go.  It  is  usually  pro- 
nounced "  buckshee,"  and  means  "  Give  me  something." 
So  you  had  as  well  learn  to  say  "Ma  fish,"  "  There  is  noth- 
ing," or  "  Allah  ya  tik,"  "  May  God  give  you,"  now 
as  any  time,  for  either  one  of  these  answers  usually 
silences  them.  But  you  will  find  them  like  flies,  when 
you  get  rid  of  one  two  come  to  take  its  place. 

Wherever  you  meet  with  Arabs,  you  are  sure  to  be 
annoyed  with  beggars.  More,  you  will  learn  to  appre- 
ciate and  to  have  a  sympathy  you  never  experienced 
before,  for  the  poor  little  donkey.  You  will  find 
that  it  is  smaller  and  swifter,  more  docile,  patient,  and 
persevering  than  the  European  donkey,  and  wholly 
unlike  our  own  donkeys.  Here  you  see  him  bearing  all 


AND   THE    HOLY.  LAND.  151 

manner  of  burdens,  in  fact  he  is  the  Arab's  wagon, 
wheelbarrow,  fruit  carrier,  go-cart,  wood-carrier,  veg- 
etable carrier.  All  the  vegetables,  fruit,  etc.,  brought 
to  market  in  this  city  of  four  hundred  thousand  people 
are  brought  in  the  main  on  the  backs  of  donkeys. 
Occasionally  you  see  a  camel  loaded  thus.  You  saw 
him  as  we  were  coming  from  Alexandria,  with  a  good 
cart  load  of  clover  on  his  back,  covering  the  little  imp 
from  his  ears  to  the  root  of  his  tail,  with  one  or  two 
Arab  boys  on  top  of  that  to  hold  it  steady.  Whole 
families  ride  him,  eat  with  him,  sleep  with  him,  at  least 
he  stays  in  the  room  with  the  family.  When  I  was  in 
Cairo,  I  saw  a  peanut  roaster  fixed  on  a  donkey's  back, 
and  being  driven  around  distributing  hot  roasted  nuts  to 
customers.  You  also  saw  the  donkey  and  buffalo  cow 
yoked  together,  drawing  one  of  the  forked  stick  plows, 
called  "  Lisan."  What  we  would  call  the  beam  is  made 
about  six  feet  long  and  attached  to  the  yoke.  The 
upright  to  which  we  attach  the  plowshare  is  shod, 
instead,  with  a  three-pronged  piece  of  iron.  I  have 
seen  them  using  this  plow  without  the  iron  point.  To 
the  other  end  of  the  upright  beam  a  single  handle 
is  attached.  These  rude  light  plows  penetrate  but 
slightly  into  the  ground;  in  fact,  they  do  but  little  bet- 
ter work  than  could  be  done  with  one  of  our  iron  tooth 
harrows.  They  use  no  lines  on  the  plowstock,  nor  do 
they  guide  the  team  by  teaching  them  the  meaning  of 
"  gee"  and  "  haw,"  as  do  our  plowmen.  They  urge  the 
team  on  and  guide  them  with  the  goad.  When  the 
Arab  wants  his  team  to  go  to  the  right  he  pricks  the 
near  or  left-hand  animal  with  the  goad,  and  vice  versa. 
I  have  seen  baskets  made  of  rushes  swung  across  the 
donkey's  back  like  saddle-bags  and  each  end  filled 


152  TEAVELS  IN  EGYPT 

with  Arab  children,  and,  as  it  is  a  custom  among  the 
Arabs  to  use  asses'  milk,  the  donkey  is  both  a  wet  and 
dry  nurse  for  the  Arab  mother.  I  know  the  donkey  is 
not  handsome  nor  his  voice  melodious.  I  know  also 
that  he  can  make  more  noise  to  the  square  inch  than 
any  animal  I  ever  saw,  except  a  colored  preacher.  I 
also  admit  that  he  is  as  stubborn  as  an  obstinate 
woman.  I  saw  some  Arab  children  one  day  trying  to 
get  one  of  these  little  animals  down  a  steep  bank  to  the 
water.  Some  pulled  and  others  pushed,  but  go  he 
wouldn't.  Finally  two  Arab  women  came  to  the  help 
of  the  children.  They  all  pulled  and  pushed,  but  the 
donkey  sat  down.  It  was  no  go.  Finally  one  or  two 
men  joined  in  and  by  a  united  effort  they  got  him  to 
the  water's  edge.  The  donkey  backed  his  long  ears 
and  said,  in  language  easily  understood  :  "  "Well,  you 
have  gotten  me  here,  but  I  defy  all  the  Arabs  in  Egypt 
to  make  me  drink."  For  all  this,  if  I  had  to  live  in 
Egypt  or  Palestine  and  be  a  woman,  a  donkey,  or  a 
a  dog,  I  would  first  be  a  dog  and  then  a  donkey,  and 
never  a  woman,  God  pity  them.  But  I  have  seen  this 
little  patient  animal  beaten  and  cuffed  about,  over- 
burdened and  abused  in  so  many  ways,  and  yet  so 
docile,  uncomplaining  and  cheerful  under  it  all,  that  I 
have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  he  has  far  more  merit 
than  he  gets  credit  for. 

One  of  the  first  things  you  will  hear  when  you  go 
down  on  the  street  will  be  the  donkey  boys.  Perhaps 
a  dozen  or  more  will  surround  you,  each  extolling  the 
merits  of  his  own  donkey,  "  good  donkey."  If  you  are 
taken  for  an  American,  the  boy  will  be  shrewd  enough 
to  tell  you  his  donkey  is  named  "  Yankee  Doodle." 
Some  of  the  streets  of  old  Cairo  are  still  unpaved,  and 


AND  THE   HOLY    LAND.  153 

are  too  narrow  for  carriages.  In  fact  the  narrow  lanes 
(for  they  are  not  worthy  of  being  called  streets),  between 
the  rows  of  houses,  are  so  very  narrow  that  there  is 
hardly  room  for  two  riders  to  pass.  In  many  of  these 
old  streets  the  projecting  balconies  of  the  upper  stories 
(with  their  gratings)  nearly  meet.  These  upper  stories 
are  used  for  harems,  where  the  women  are  penned  in. 

We  will  now  see  what  makes  Cairo  so  interesting, 
romantic  and  novel  for  the  visitor.  It  presents  scenes 
and  incidents,  barbarous  and  civilized,  which  forcibly 
strike  and  interest  even  the  most  indifferent.  Here  we 
see  people  of  all  nations,  with  their  varied  manners, 
customs  and  dress,  and  hear  as  great  a  diversity  of 
language,  perhaps,  as  was  heard  at  Babel. 

The  traffic  in  the  street,  called  "Muski,"  is  so  great, 
the  street  being  rather  narrow,  that  the  long  string  of 
men,  women  and  animals,  of  walkers,  riders,  and  hacks 
of  every  description,  looks  like  an  interminable  proces- 
sion ;  a  truly  motley  company.  Now  while  looking, 
listen.  You  hear  the  cracking  of  the  drivers'  whips, 
the  ringing  of  bells,  the  jingling  of  money  (the  money 
changers  sit  out  on  the  street  corners  as  of  old),  the 
braying  of  donkeys,  the  moaning  of  camels,  the  barking 
of  dogs,  and  the  yelling  of  the  donkey  boys. 

The  donkey  boy  runs  along  behind  the  donkey,  giving 
him  a  pretty  severe  rap  with  his  driving  stick  every  few 
yards,  and  yelling  "  Ya-a-ar"  at  the  top  of  his, voice. 
He  hits  him  first  on  one  side,  which  careens  him  over 
to  one  side,  and  then  he  has  to  hit  him  on  the  other 
side  to  straighten  him  up. 

The  various  cries  of  street  venders  and  other  per- 
sons who  transact  their  business  on  the  streets,  the 
warning  shouts  of  outrunners  of  coachmen,  and  the 


154  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

cry  of  the  Sakka,  or  water  carrier,  with  his  goat  skin 
of  water  on  his  own  or  his  donkey's  back,  all  com- 
bined, produce  as  discordant  a  compound  of  sounds  as 
can  well  be  imagined,  but  better  appreciated  when 
heard  than  when  imagined.  You  remember  when 
Elijah  went  up  on  Mount  Carmel  and  prayed  for  rain, 
after  sending  his  servant  the  seventh  time,  the  servant 
reported  that  he  saw  rising  out  of  the  sea  a  little  cloud 
"like  a  man's  hand,"  that  Elijah  said  to  him,  "  Go,  say 
unto  Ahab,  Prepare  thy  chariot  and  get  thee  down 
that  the  rain  stop  thee  not.  And  it  came  to  pass  in 
the  meantime  that  the  heaven  was  black'  with  clouds 
and  wind  and  there  was  a  great  rain.  And  Ahab 
rode  and  went  to  Jezreel  and  the  hand  of  the  Lord 
was  on  Elijah  and  he  girded  up  his  loins  and  ran 
before  Ahab  to  the  entrance  of  Jezreel." 

Now  you  see  it  stated  here  that  Elijah  girded  up 
his  loins.  Doubtless  this  was  done  with  a  belt  wrapped 
several  times  around  his  waist,  such  as  you  see  all  these 
Arabs  here  and  in  Palestine  wear.  Again  it  is  said, 
"  he  ran  before  Ahab,  *'.  e.,  before  Ahab's  chariot,  to 
the  entrance  of  Jezreel."  How  long  has  it  b3en  since 
that  occurred  ?  Answer.  Nearly  two  thousand  eight 
hundred  years,  and  yet  this  custom  of  having  a  run- 
ner to  go  before  chariots  or  carriages  is  still  kept  up 
by  these  people  and  can  be  seen  at  any  and  all  times 
herein  Cairo. 

It  was  some  twelve  or  fourteen  miles  from  Carmel 
across  the  valley  of  Esdraelon  to  Jezreel ;  it  was  during 
a  hard  rain,  and  the  soil  of  Esdraelon  is  red  and  sticky 
when  wet,  something  like  the  prairie  soil  of  Texas  in 
that  particular.  So  you  see  it  was  no  easy  task  per- 
formed by  Elijah. 


WATER  CARKIER. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  155 

Let  me  call  your  attention  to  the  water  carriers ; 
although  Cairo  has  its  water-works  and  could  easily 
supply  every  house  in  the  city  with  water,  still  the  old 
custom  of  retailing  water  from  goat  skins  is  kept  up. 
The  carrier  has  his  bag  of  water  on  his  back  and  a 
shallow  tray  suspended  from  his  neck,  in  front  on  which 
he  carries  several  drinking  cups  or  brazen  saucers. 
They  offer  a  draught  to  every  passer-by,  for  which 
they  are  paid  a  small  copper  coin  of  the  value  of  about 
one-fifth  of  one  cent.  Some  of  these  carriers  use  five- 
gallon  earthenware  jars  instead  of  goat  skins  suspended 
on  their  backs,  from  which  they  dispense  water.  This 
water  is  brought  from  the  Nile,  an  instance  of  labori- 
ous work  and  poor  pay.  Many  of  the  streets  are 
sprinkled  by  these  carriers ;  the  water  in  skin  bags 
being  carried  on  their  own  or  the  backs  of  donkeys. 

The  cry  of  the  fruit  and  vegetable  venders  when 
interpreted  is  curious  to  the  stranger.  The  common- 
est expressions  are,  perhaps,  "Allah  yehawwinheh  ya 
lemun  "  (God  will  make  them  light,  O  lemons ;  i.  e.,  he 
will  make  the  basket  light  by  enabling  the  vender  to 
sell  them).  Another  expression  is,  "  Asal  ya  burtukan 
asal  "  (Honey,  O  oranges,  honey  ;  i.  e.>  sweet  as  honey). 

From  a  very  early  period  it  has  been  customary  for 
the  Arabs  to  distinguish  their  different  sects,  families 
and  dynasties  by  the  color  of  their  turbans  or  head- 
gear. The  green  turbans  form  the  badge  of  the 
"  Sherifs,"  or  descendants  of  the  Prophet  Mohammed. 
The  green  turban  is  also  frequently  worn  by  the 
Mohammedan  who  has  made  the  pilgrimage  to  Mecca. 
The  "  Ulama,"  or  clergy  and  scholars,  usually  wear  a 
very  wide  and  evenly  folded  turban  of  light  color, 


156  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

wrapped  several  times  around  the  fez,  or  brimless 
skull-cap. 

These  turbans  are  usually  made  the  length  of  the 
body,  in  order  that  it  rnay  be  used  as  a  winding  sheet 
when  the  owner  dies.  The  wearer,  knowing  it  will  be 
thus  used,  is  thereby  often  reminded  of  death.  The 
Copts  wear  blue  turbans  and  the  Jews  yellow,  and  other 
Moslem  citizens  have  theirs  dark  colored. 

The  women  of  the  poorer  classes  wear  nothing  but 
blue  gowns  and  veils.  Their  ornaments  consist  of  sil- 
ver or  copper  bracelets,  ankle  rings  and  ear  rings. 
They  tattoo  their  chins,  arms  and  chests.  Now  and 
then  you  will  meet  one  with  nose  rings.  These,  how- 
ever,are  more  fashionable  in  upper  than  in  central  Egypt. 
Many  of  the  Egyptian  women  color  their  eyelids  and 
eyelashes  and  the  nails  of  their  fingers  and  toes 
with  henna,  a  brownish-yellow  tint,  as  before  mentioned. 

When  equipped  for  riding  or  walking  the  streets  the 
better  classes  wear  a  silk  cloak,  generally  light-colored. 
This  with  the  burko,  or  long  veil,  covering  the  whole 
face  except  the  eyes,  reaching  nearly  to  the  feet,  con- 
stitutes their  outdoor  dress.  The  married  women  wear 
the  habara,  a  kind  of  mantle  consisting  of  two  breadths 
of  black,  glossy  silk.  The  wealthier  classes  when  rid- 
ing in  carriages  are  usually  attended  by  eunuchs.  Among 
other  customs  we  may  as  well  mention  here  that  the 
mother  carries  her  child  astride  her  shoulder  or  her 
hip.  It  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  the  little  coons 
sitting  astride  their  mother's  shoulder,  with  their  head 
resting  on  the  head  of  their  mothers,  sound  asleep. 

Out  of  the  four  hundred  thousand  population  of 
Cairo,  between  eighty  and  eighty-five  thousand  are 
Europeans,  who  have  built  up  the  modern  part  of  the 


GARMENTS  OF  WEALTH. 
Isa.  52-1. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  157 

city  in  modern  style,  i.  e.,  with  nice  substantial  edifices ; 
wide,  well-paved  streets,  parks,  etc.  On  some  of  the 
streets  in  Cairo  you  would  think  you  were  in  ISTew 
York  or  Chicago,  and  by  walking  a  few  blocks  it  would 
bring  you  to  another  portion  of  city  that  would 
make  you  think  you  were  in  another  and  an  entirely 
foreign  city,  so  great  is  the  contrast  in  the  new  or 
modern  and  the  old  parts  of  the  city. 

The  bazaars  (small  shops)  you  will  find  inferior  to 
those  of  Damascus  or  Constantinople,  but  superior  to 
the  bazaars  in  Jerusalem.  In  all  these  places  the  arti- 
cles offered  for  sale  are  manufactured  in  the  shop  or 
bazaar  where  offered,  and  it  is  interesting  to  the 
traveler  to  see  these  artisans  work  with  their  very  primi- 
tive tools.  For  instance,  you  will  see  the  carpenter 
plying  his  trade  without  bench,  vise,  rule  or  auger. 
When  dressing  a  board  he  holds  it  steady  by  sitting  on 
one  end  while  dressing  the  other.  For  boring  holes  they 
use  an  iron  spike  fastened  in  a  circular  piece  of  wood, 
which  is  turned  by  means  of  an  instrument  resembling 
a  fiddle  bow.  The  blacksmith  and  silversmith  use  a 
bellows  consisting  of  a  conical  bag  made  of  goat  skin, 
which  is  open  at  the  larger  end,  where  it  is  provided 
with  wooden  handles,  the  other  end  terminating  in  a 
tube,  usually  a  piece  of  an  old  gun  barrel  which  runs 
under  a  small  mound  of  clay  to  the  fire.  The  handles  of 
the  larger  end  of  the  bag  are  adjusted  so  that  the  large 
end  of  the  bag  is  opened  and  closed  rapidly,  thus  forc- 
ing the  air  out  through  the  tube.  The  lathe  of  the 
turner  is  equally  as  rude  and  primitive.  It  consists  of 
two  upright  pieces  of  wood  ;  between  these  the  piece 
of  wood  to  be  turned  is  secured  on  the  end  of  two 
nails.  The  piece  is  then  turned  back  and  forth  with 


158  TEAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

a  stringed  bow  used  with  one  band,  while  the  chisel  is 
held  with  the  other  hand  and  the  toes. 

These  bazaars  as  you  see,  consist  of  narrow,  dirty 
streets,  or  rather  lanes,  covered  in  with  awning  with 
narrow  shallow  shops  opening  into  the  street  on  each 
side;  the  floors  being  about  two  feet  above  ground. 
The  proprietor  sits  upon  the  floor,  with  his  goods  and 
chattels  in  reach  of  him  on  all  sides.  "  In  this  city  one 
sees  a  living  museum  of  all  imaginable  and  unimagin- 
able phases  of  existence,  of  refinement  and  degeneracy, 
of  civilization  and  barbarism,  of  knowledge  and  ignor- 
ance, of  Paganism,  Christianity  and  Mohammedanism," 
one  conglomerate  mass  of  all  the  elements  which  go  to 
make  up  the  nations  of  the  Orient. 

There  are  some  places  in  the  neighborhood  of  Cairo 
which  we  must  visit,  as  they  possess  such  an  historic 
interest  that  we  can  not  afford  to  pass  them  by.  We 
must  visit  the  pyramids,  Heliopolis,  Sakkara,  and  the 
Bulak  museum  at  least.  There  are  other  places  we 
would  like  to  visit,  but  time  forbids,  as  we  have  a  long 
journey  before  us  yet  and  will  see  many  things  about 
which  I  must  talk  to  you.  So  tomorrow  morning  we 
will  ride  out  and  see  the  pyramids,  as  everybody  has 
heard  of  the  pyramids,  but  comparatively  few  have  seen 
them.  It  has  been  said  "  that  everything  fears  time, 
but  time  fears  the  pyramids."  They  are  the  most 
wonderful  monuments  of  human  industry  and  enter- 
prise known  to  mankind. 

From  Cairo  out  to  the  Gizeh  group  of  pyramids  is  a 
magnificent  drive.  The  road  crosses  t]ie  Nile  on  the 
great  iron  bridge,  which  is  four  hundred  and  twenty 
yards  in  length  and  fifty-five  in  width.  It  was  built 
by  a  French  company.  The  road  is  thrown  up  and  for 


160  TRAVELS  IN    EGYPT 

several  miles  out  is  shaded  by  a  row  of  trees  on  either 
side  whose  branches  meet  overhead  and  form  a  beauti- 
ful shaded  archway.  It  is  about  one  and  one-half 
hours  drive  to  the  slope  of  the  elevated  plateau  upon 
which  the  pyramids  of  Gizeh  stand.  This  plateau 
gradually  ascends  from  east  to  west.  The  east  and 
north  ends  of  it  are  very  steep  in  places,  it  extends 
nearly  a  inile  from  east  to  west  and  about  three-fourths 
of  a  mile  from  north  to  south,  and  rises  some  seventy- 
tive  or  one  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Nile 
valley.  This  plateau  is  the  margin  of  the  Libyan 
desert.  The  pyramids  extend  along  a  line  of  twenty- 
five  miles  in  length,  and  include  five  groups,  namely, 
the  Abu  Roash.  Among  this  group  is  the  remains  of 
one  made  of  Nile  mud.  This  group,  however,  pre- 
sents but  little  attraction  and  is  not  worth  visiting. 

The  pyramids  of  Abusir,  the  ancient  Busiris,  are 
located  some  eight  miles  southeast  of  the  group  we 
visit. 

The  Sakkara;  there  are  eleven  inlbhis  group.  The 
Dahshur,  consisting  of  two  of  large  size  and  two 
smaller  pyramids  of  limestone  and  two  made  of  brick, 
together  with  the  remains  of  others,  all  of  which  are  at 
a  considerable  distance  from  each  other.  One  of  these 
stone  pyramids  is  three  hundred  and  twenty-six  feet  in 
height  and  two  hundred  and  thirty-four  yards  on  its 
sides,  nearly  as  large  as  the  Great  pyramid.  These  and 
the  Gizeh  are  all  near  the  Necropolis  or  old  burying- 
place  of  ancient  Memphis,  and  all  of  them  can  be  seen 
from  the  top  of  the  Cheops,  as  the  Great  pyramid  is 
called. 

But  here  we  are  nearing  the  foot  of  the  hill  or 
plateau  upon  which  stand  the  pyramids.  You  see  the 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  161 

Bedouins  coming  to  meet  our  carriage.  Now  you  will 
see  the  yellow-legged  scamps, — for  they  have  on  noth- 
ing but  a  long  shirt, — throw  sand  before  the  carriage 
with  the  hope  of  getting  the  driver  to  employ  them  to 
scotch  the  wheels  and  otherwise  assist  him  in  getting 
up  the  hill,  for  it  is  quite  a  long  steep  pull  for  the 
horses. 

Well,  here  we  are  at  the  foot  of  the  Great  pyramid, 
and  there  is  the  Sphinx  that  you  have  read  about  and 
seen  pictures  of  ever  since  your  schoolboy  days.  Don't 
you  remember  seeing  pictures  of  the  pyramids  and  the 
Sphinx  in  the  geography  you  studied  when  a  child  ? 
And  here  are  dozens  of  Bedouins,  all  of  whom  want  to 
be  the  favored  ones  to  assist  us  in  getting  to  the  top  of 
this  immense  pile  of  stone.  Out  of  this  motley  crowd 
we  must  select  three  apiece,  for  it  is  not  safe  or  prudent 
to  undertake  the  ascent  without  their  aid,  and  even 
with  their  assistance  we  will  find  it  a  laborious  under- 
taking, and  will  wish  a  dozen  times  before  reaching 
the  top  that  the  ascent  could  be  made  by  an  elevator. 
But  before  we  begin  the  ascent,  suppose  we  sit  here  in 
the  carriage  for  a  time,  and  I  will  tell  you  something 
about  these  wonderful  structures. 

The  name  pyramid,  according  to  some  authorities,  is 
derived  from  the  Egyptian  word  "  Pi  Rama,"  meaning 
"  the  mountain ; "  others  think  it  derived  from  a  word 
meaning  "  wheat ;"  and  another,  meaning  "measure." 
Some  Arabian  historians  claim  that  the  pyramids  were 
used  by  Joseph  to  store  away  the  grain  that  served. the 
Egyptians  during  the  seven  years  of  famine.  I  think 
the  first  explanation  the  best  of  the  three  and  perhaps 
the  correct  one.  As  you  sit  here  and  look  at  this  pyr- 
amid you  find  it  difficult  to  realize  its  immensity.  It 


162  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

doesn't  look  to  be  as  large  as  it  really  is.  I  suppose 
that  is  on  account  of  its  wonderful  proportions.  This 
one  is  called  Cheops,  after  its  builder.  The  authorities 
upon  the  subject  say  that  it  was  built  by  Khufu  or 
Cheops. 

In  a  recent  article  in  Harper's  magazine  oy  Miss 
Amelia  B.  Edwards,  home  secretary  of  the  Egyptian 
Exploration ,  Fund,  she  says  that  the  explorations  and 
excavations  made  at  Bubastes  within  the  last  few  years 
have  resulted  in  finding  an  inscription  fixing  the  date  of 
Khufu's  reign  at  4206  B.  C.  We  are  therefore  looking 
at  a  monument  which  has  been  standing,  just  as  you 
see  it,  over  six  thousand  years.  The  Egyptians  call  it 
"The  glorious  throne  of  Khufu."  The  pyramid  you 
see  just  over  there  about  a  hundred  paces  from  this  one 
is  not  so  large.  It  is  said  by  the  same  authorities  to  have 
been  built  by  Khafra,  or  "Cephron,"  a  brother  of 
Khufu,  about  4150  B.  C.,  and  the  third  one  by  Men- 
kaurao,  or  "Mycerinus,"  4100  B.  C.  These  immense 
structures  were  continually  being  erected  by  the  kings 
of  Egypt  down  to  about  the  time  of  the  Pharaohs. 

"After  that,  the  kings,  as  well  as  their  su  bjects,  seem 
to  have  preferred  rock  tombs  or  mausolea  above  ground." 

Herodotus,  who  wrote  about  450  B.  C.,  as  before 
stated,  says  "  that  the  stone  of  which  this  pyramid  was 
built  was  brought  from  the  quarry  which  we  will  soon 
visit  across  the  Nile.  More  recent  authorities  say  they 
were  brought  from  up  the  Nile.  He  further  states  that 
one  hundred  thousand  men  were  employed  for  three 
months  annually  in  quarrying  the  blocks  of  stone  and 
transporting  them  to  the  river ;  another  one  hundred 
thousand  ferried  them  across,  and  yet  another  one 
hundred  thousand  conveyed  them  to  the  base  of  the 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  163 

Libyan  hills ;  that  it  took  ten  years  to  construct  the 
road  over  which  they  were  carried ;  that  the  road 
was  one  thousand  and  seventeen  yards  in  length, 
sixty  feet  in  width,  and  its  height  in  the  highest  place 
forty-eight  feet,  and  that  it  was  constructed  entirely  of 
polished  stone." 

Diodorus  Siculus,  who  wrote  in  the  last  century 
before  Christ,  says :  "  It  is  said  that  three  hundred  and 
sixty  thousand  men  were  compulsorily  employed  in  the 
building  of  this  pyramid,  and  that  it  took  them  ten 
years  to  complete  it." 

An  Arabian  historian,  Masudi,  says,  "  that  the  pyra- 
mids were  built  three  hundred  years  before  the  flood 
by  Surid,  in  consequence  of  the  interpretation  of  a 
dream  which  predicted  the  flood.  Having  been 
assured,  himself,  that  the  world  would  be  re- peo- 
pled after  the  deluge,  he  caused  the  pyramids  to  be 
erected  and  in  them  deposited  his  treasures,  the  bodies 
of  his  ancestors,  and  records  containing  all  the  knowl- 
edge of  his  priests,  etc.,  in  order  that  they  might  be 
preserved  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  should  come 
after  the  flood. 

According  to  an  Egyptian  legend,  Surid  had  this 
inscription  put  upon  one  of  the  pyramids.  "  I,  King 
Surid,  have  built  these  pyramids  and  completed  them 
in  sixty-one  years.  Let  him  who  comes  after  me  and 
imagines  he  is  a  king  to  compare  with  me  attempt  to 
destroy  them  in  six  hundred  years.  It  is  easier  to 
destroy  than  to  erect.  I  have  covered  them  with  silk, 
let  him  dare  to  cover  them  with  mats." 

"  Professor  Lepsius,  to  whom  the  world  is  indebted  for 
a  systematic  method  of  utilizing  fragmentary  historical 
records,  found  on  the  walls  of  temples  and  tombs,  on 


164  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

statues  and  on  implements  and  trinkets,  asks  and 
answers  the  five  following  important  questions  in 
relation  to  the  pyramids  : "  "  First,  how  does  it  happen 
that  the  pyramids  are  of  different  sizes  ?  Second,  after 
Cheops  and  Cephron  had  erected  their  gigantic  mau- 
solea,  how  could  their  successors  be  satisfied  with 
monuments  so  much  smaller  and  of  so  different  propor- 
tions ?  Third,  how  is  the  fact  to  be  accounted  for  that 
an  unfinished  pyramid  is  never  met  with  ?  Fourth, 
how  could  Cheops  when  he  ascended  the  throne  and 
chose  an  area  of  eighty-two  thousand  square 
yards,  nearly  thirteen  acres,  for  his  monument,  know 
that  his  reign  would  be  so  unusually  long  as  to  enable 
him  to  complete  it  ?  Fifth,  if  one  of  the  builders  of  the 
great  pyramids  had  died  in  the  secdnd  or  third  year  of 
his  reign,  how  could  his  sons  or  successors,  however 
willing  to  carry  out  the  plan,  have  succeeded  in  com- 
pleting so  gigantic  a  task,  and  in  erecting  monuments 
for  themselves  at  the  same  time?  And  how  comes  it 
that  many  other  kings  did  not,  like  Cheops,  boldly 
anticipate  a  reign  of  fifty  years,  and  begin  a  work  of 
the  same  kind,  the  design  for  which  might  have  been 
so  easily  carried  cut  by  his  subjects  ?" 

To  all  these  questions  the  researches  of  Lepsius  and 
Erbkam  afford  but  one  satisfactory  answer,  and  to  me, 
reader,  it  appears  to  be  the  most  philosophical  answer 
yet  given  to  these  questions;  "Each  king,"  says 
Lepsius,  in  his  letter  from  Egypt,  "  began  to  build  his 
pyramid  when  he  ascended  his  throne.  He  began  it  on 
a  small  scale  in  order  that  if  a  short  reign  should  be  in 
store  for  him  his  tomb  might  be  a  complete  one.  As 
years  rolled  on  he  continued  enlarging  it  by  the  addi- 
tion of  outer  coatings  of  stone  until  he  felt  that  his 


AND   THE    HOLY   LAND.  165 

career  was  drawing  to  a  close."  If  he  had  died  before 
the  work  was  completed,  the  last  coating  was  then 
finished,  and  the  size  of  the  pyramid  was  accordingly 
proportioned  to  the  length  of  the  builder's  reign,  so 
that  had  the  progress  of  these  structures  always  been 
uniform,  it  would  have  almost  been  possible  to  ascer- 
tain the  length  of  each  king's  reign  from  the  incrusta- 
tions of  his  pyramid,  in  the  same  way  as  the  age  of  a 
tree  is  determined  by  the  number  of  concentric  rings 
in  its  trunk." 

The  views  above  expressed  by  these  learned  Egyptol- 
ogists give  a  very  plausible  and  satisfactory  answer  to 
the  series  of  questions  asked. 

Another  question  in  regard  to  the  pyramids  which 
has  perplexed  the  minds  of  many  inquirers  in  this  field 
of  research  is,  what  were  the  pyramids  built  for? 
Some  of  our  learned  men  who  have  visited  these  struct- 
ures,and  measured  the  distances,  angles  and  courses  of  the 
passages  leading  to  the  different  chambers,  have 
expressed  the  opinion  that  they  were  erected  for 
astronomical  purposes  if  erected  for  this  purpose,  why 
the  necessity  of  so  many  in  one  locality  ?  It  is  more 
generally  believed,  however,  in  view  of  the  strange  and 
mysterious  religious  doctrines  entertained  by  the  ancient 
Egyptians,  an  outline  of  which  I  give,  that  the  reader 
may  understand  what  influences  induced  them  to  erect 
these  stupendous  mausoleums,  that  they  were  erected 
for  other  purposes. 

They  believed  in  a  supreme  being  which  they  called 
Ptah.  The  first  great  moving  power,  or  cause,  was 
personified  and  called  Nun.  The  principle  of  light  and 
the  creative  power  of  nature  which  implants  in  matter 
the  germs  of  existence  and  light  was  called  "  Khepera," 


166  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

or  the  Scarabaeus  with  the  sun's  disk,  whose  emblem 
was  the  beetle.  As  that  bug  rolls  up  into  a  ball  and 
covers  over  with  dirt  the  eggs  which  hatch  out  its  off- 
spring, so  this  deity  was  believed  to  have  concealed 
within  the  globe  of  the  world  the  germs  of  organic  life. 
Ptah  was  regarded  as  the  greatest  of  the  Gods,  and 
represents  the  embodiment  of  the  organizing  and  motive 
power  developed  from  Nun,  or  moisture.  •  It  is  Ptah 
which  imparts  form  to  the  germs  sown  by  Khepera, 
and  breaks  the  ball  rolled  along  by  the  beetle,  or,  in 
other  words,  the  eggs  of  the  universe  from  which 
emerge  his  children,  the  elements  and  the  forms  of 
heaven  and  earth. 

B,a  was  a  deity  which  was  represented  in  seventy-five 
different  forms.  At  first  as  Turn,  the  evening  sun ; 
after  sunset,  during  his  passage  through  the  lower 
hemisphere,  that  of  night  is  known  as  Knum.  He  is 
supposed  to  die  when  he  sets,  and  when  he  appears  in 
the  morning  it  was  regarded  as  a  new  creation.  Evening 
and  night  precede  the  morning  and  day,  hence  Amen- 
thes,  or  the  dark  regions,  were  believed  to  have  existed 
before  the  upper  regions,  which  formed  the  scene  of 
human  life.  After  breaking  the  egg  of  the  world,  the 
universe  was  thought  to  dissolve  into  three  empires : 
Heaven  (Nut) ;  earth  (Seb) ;  and  the  dark  regions,  which 
were  presided  over  by  Ptah. 

Here,  you  see,  was  a  natural  division  of  their  gods; 
Harmachis,  the  sun  at  sunrise ;  Ra,  the  sun  at  mid- 
day ;  Turn,  the  setting  sun. 

These  were  supposed  to  be  in  continual  warfare  with 
the  gods  of  darkness,  Amenthes. 

The  reader  will  bear  in  mind  that  I  am  now 
endeavoring  to  give  a  brief  outline  of  the  religious 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  167 

beliefs  of  the  Egyptians  when  Father  Abram  visited 
Egypt  nineteen  hundred  yoars  before  the  Christian  era, 
and  for  centuries  before  that  time.  Moses  was  no 
doubt  familiar  with  this  mysterious  religion  in  all  of  its 
details,  as  we  are  told  that  he  was  "  learned  in  all  their 
wisdom,"  and  that  was  saying  a  .great  deal,  for  they 
were  at  tbat  time  the  most  cultivated  nation  upon  the 
face  of  the  earth. 

By  accompanying  the  departed  soul  through  its 
peregrinations  in  the  regions  of  Amenthes,  we  may 
form  a  more  correct  idea  as  to  what  influences  prompted 
these  ancient  and  learned  people  to  erect  such  wonderful 
structures  as  we  now  see  in  the  pyramids,  sphinx  and 
the  Mastabas,  which,  although  some  five  or  six  thousand 
years  have  elapsed,  are  still  the  grandest  architectural 
works  ever  accomplished  by  the  genius  of  man. 

Conducted  by  Anubis,  the  guide  of  the  soul,  a  god 
represented  by  the  figure  of  a  man  with  a  hawk's  head, 
"  the  soul  traverses  the  labyrinth,  and  by  the  aid  of  a 
clew,  guiding  it  through  its  windings,  at  last  penetrates 
to  the  judgment  hall,  where  Osiris,  god  of  time,  seated 
on  his  throne,  awaits  it."  Osiris  is  assisted  by  forty- 
two  other  gods  as  associate  judges.  They  pronounce 
sentence  in  favor  of  or  against  the  soul,  according  to 
its  weight. 

The  soul  was  regarded  as  consisting  of  soul,  or  sahu, 
the  heart  and  the  intelligence.  When  a  man  died  it 
was  believed  these  immortal  parts  of  his  being  sepa- 
rated from  the  body  and  that  it  was  only  the  heart 
which  was  put  into  the  scales  of  divine  justice  with 
truth.  The  intelligence  was  regarded"  as  an  emanation 
from  the  divine  being. 

It  was  believed  that  when  the  soul  first  reached  Amen- 


168  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

thes,  the  lower  regions,  that  it  had  to  fight  with  and 
overcome  ferocious  beasts ;  that  it  had  to  fight  with 
and  overcome  demons,  storm  castles  and  struggle  with 
invisible  powers.  Its  triumphs  in  these  conflicts  must 
be  accomplished  through  the  virtues  which  resided  in 
certain  charms  and  amulets,  such  as  sacred  texts  and 
•hymns,  the  scarabs,  or  sacred  beetle,  etc.  These  amu- 
lets, charms,  etc.,  are  found  in  every  mummy  case. 

If  the  heart  upon  being  weighed  was  found  to  be 
lighter  than  truth,  it  was  condemned  to  suffer  the  tor- 
ments of  Amenthes  or  continue  its  existence  in  the 
bodies  of  animals  going  from  the  body  of  animal  to 
animal  for  a  period  of  three  thousand  years.  This  per- 
egrination or  transmigration,  however,  was  not  begun 
nor  did  the  soul  enter  the  body  of  an  animal  until  the 
body  decayed,  the  time  required  for  its  decay  being 
deducted  from  the  period  of  3000  years,  and  here  we 
find  a  potent  reason,  not  only  for  mummifying  the  body, 
but  also  for  erecting  costly  mastabas,  mausoleums, 
and  even  pyramids  for  their  preservation. 

After  the  body  decays  the  soul  begins  its  three 
thousand  or  less  years  of  transmigration,  after  which  it 
appears  before  Osiris  for  a  new  trial.  In  this  new 
trial  the  individual  is  obliged  to  give  proof  of  his 
knowledge.  Each  of  the  forty-two  judges  question  him 
in  turn.  He  is  required  to  tell  each  one  his  name  and 
what  it  means,  and  must  give  an  account  of  his  whole 
life.  Champollion  called  it  the  "  Negative  confession." 
The  deceased  addresses  successively  each  of  his  judges 
and  declares  in  the  way  of  justification  that  he  has 
not  been  guilty  of  such  and  such  crimes.  He  does  not 
stop,  however,  upon  entering  a  plea  of  general  denial, 
but  asserts  with  all  the  solemnity  of  death  which  sur- 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  169 

rounds  him  "  that  he  has  made  to  the  gods  the  offer- 
ings which  were  their  due ;  that  he  has  given  food  to 
the  hungry  drink  to  the  thirsty,  and  clothes  to  the 
naked. " 

These  assertions  of  innocehcy  of  crime  go  farther  and 
acquaint  us  with  some  of  the  police  regulations  of 
those  ancient  people.  Thus  the  deceased  asserts  that 
he  has  never  intercepted  the  irrigating  canals  or  pre- 
vented the  distribution  of  the  water  of  the  river  over 
the  country.  He  declares  that  he  has  never  injured  the 
stones  for  mooring  vessels  on  the  river.  He  also 
declares  his  innocence  of  crimes  of  a  religious  charac- 
ter ;  says,  "he  has  never  altered  the  prayers  nor  interpo- 
lated them ; "  that  he  has  never  touched  any  of  the 
sacred  properties,  such  as  flocks  and  herds,  or  fished  for 
the  sacred  fish  in  the  lakes  of  the  temples,  or  stolen 
offerings  from  the  altars.  "  I  have  not  blasphemed," 
says  the  deceased;  "  I  have  not  stolen,  I  have  not 
treated  any  person  with  cruelty,  I  have  not  been  intox- 
icated, I  have  not  allowed  my  mouth  to  tell  secrets,  I 
have  not  wounded  anyone,  I  have  not  slandered  any- 
one." In  short,  he  makes  himself  out  as  perfest  a  man, 
as  was  the  ideal  perfect  man,  Job. 

His  heart  being  now  weighed,  it  is  founa  as  heavy  as 
truth.  The  forty-two  judges  assert  that  he  possesses 
the  requisite  knowledge.  The  great  Osiris  pronounces 
sentence,  and  Thoth,  the  recording  god  or  angel,  records 
it  in  his  book,  and  he  is  allowed  at  last  to  enter  into 
bliss. 

Reader,  so  great  were  the  mysteries  of  the  priesthood 
of  the  ancient  Egyptians,  and  so  intricate  their  reli- 
gious doctrines,  each  peculiar  tenet  of  their  faith  being 
represented  by  a  god  or  goddess,  but  few  Egyptologists 


170  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

oi  the  day  pretend  to  understand  it  in  all  its  minutse. 
Every  manifestation  of  deity  in  nature  was  worshiped 
through  some  divinity. 

Their  faith  in  a  hereafter  was  not  only  full  and  entire, 
but  they  also  had  a  distinct  idea  of  a  process  of  devel- 
opment in  a  future  state  of  being. 

The  doctrine  of  the  transmigration  of  the  soul  after 
the  decay  of  the  body  gives  us  an  insight  into  the  rea- 
sonableness of  mummifying  the  bodies  of  the  dead, 
and  also  their  reason  for  regarding  certain  animals  as 
sacred.  Judging  from  the  pyramids,  the  mastabae,  the 
resplendent  tombs  and  sarcophagi,  filled  with  the 
wealth  and  jewels  of  kings,  queens  and  princes,  one 
would  believe  they  cared  more  for  the  dead  than  for  the 
living.  One  supreme  being,  however,  above  all  other 
deities,  is  worshiped  as  the  maker  and  preserver  of  all 
things.  The  hyrnns  and  ritual  of  the  dead,  the  belief 
in  the  transmigration  of  souls,  in  the  day  of  judg- 
ment, in  the  trial  of  the  soul  before  Osiris,  all  this  made 
the  future  life  of  the  ancient  Egyptian  almost  as  real 
as  the  present. 

"  Their  sacred  books  teach  the  unity  and  spiritu- 
ality of  God,  immorality  of  the  soul,  a  final  judgment, 
besides  a  morality  of  justice  and  mercy." 

Entertaining  these  views,  it  was  necessary  tnat  the 
body,  the  earthly  tabernacle  of  the  soul,  should  be  pre- 
served. In  order,  therefore,  to  preserve  the  bodies  and 
remove  them  from  the  influence  of  the  an  nual  inundations 
of  the  Nile,  they  were  buried  in  the  dry  rocky  soil  of  the 
desert ;  the  wealthier  making  rock  houses,  or  masta- 
bas,  in  which  were  set  the  sarcophagi,  or  stone  coffins, 
of  the  members  of  the  family,  and  kings  in  a  place 
worthy  of  a  king.  It  is  probable,  therefore,  that  it  was 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  171 

customary  to  cover  the  rock  tomb  of  a  king  with  blocks 
of  stone  and  raise  a  mound  over  it.  But  as  time  rolled 
on  and  kings  became  more  and  more  desirous  of  per- 
petuating the  memory  of  their  reigns  as  well  as  pre- 
serving their  dead  bodies,  pyramids  were  erected  for 
this  purpose.  This  is  the  opinion,  at  least,  of  a  majority 
of  Egyptologists  who  have  thoroughly  explored  these 
pyramids  and  brought  all  the  light  to  bear  upon  the 
subject  to  be  found  in  the  history  of  this  people,  and 
since  my  visit  to  them  I  am  convinced  they  are  cor- 
rect. 

But,  reader,  we  are  here  and  must  climb  to  the  top, 
however  difficult  and  dangerous  it  may  be.  And  let  me 
tell  you  one  thing,  before  we  start,  these  Bedouins  will 
begin  to  cry  "  buckshee  "  and  beg  you  every  step  of  the 
way  up,  and  when  we  get  on  top  they  will  tell  us  unless 
we  pay  them  more  than  we  agreed  they  will  leave  us  and 
not  assist  us  down.  They  know  that  the  descent  is  per- 
haps even  more  dangerous  than  the  ascent.  We  must 
pay  no  attention  to  their  demands  or  their  threats. 
They  really  don't  mean  it.  They  are  thoroughly  trained 
liars.  They  regard  it  more  of  an  accomplishment  than  a 
disgrace.  So  here  we  go,  a  Bedouin  holding  to  each 
hand,  who  climbs  up  step  by  step  above  us,  pulling  us 
after  them,  with  another  behind  to  give  us  a  lift. 
The  stones  of  which  the  pyramids  are  built  are  about 
three  feet  square  and  from  four  to  six  feet  long.  So 
in  making  the  ascent  you  have  to  step  up  three  feet  at 
a  stride.  It  is  five  hundred  and  sixty-eight  feet  up  this 
sloping  side  to  the  top.  The  length  of  each  side  is  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  feet.  The  perpendicular  height  is  four 
hundred  and  fifty-one  feet.  Before  the  apex  was 
thrown  down  it  was  four  hundred  and  eighty-two 


172  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

feet.  The  apex  has  been  thrown  off  until  the  top  is 
now  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  square. 

Well,  reader,  here  we  are  ou  top  of  the  great  pyra- 
mid at  last,  and  if  you  feel  as  I  do  you  are  thoroughly 
tired,  so  we  will  sit  down  and  enjoy  the  prospect  while 
we  are  resting.  Here  you  see  as  far  as  vision  can  reach 
one  broad  expanse  of  reddish  brown  sand.  How  still, 
how  lifeless.  Not  a  living  thing  to  be  seen.  Not  a  green 
sprig  ot  grass  or  a  rustling  leaf,  no  cheering  brook  or 
spring  or  running  river.  Not  even  a  chirping  bird  or 
wandering  insect  to  be  seen  or  heard  buzzing  through 
the  air. 

What  a  striking  type  of  eternal  death  ;  a  vast,  dreary, 
wild  waste,  seemingly  shoreless,  boundless,  endless! 
Now,  reader,  turn  and  cast  your  eye  over  the  rich  lux- 
uriant and  fertile  valley  of  the  Nile.  Here  you  have 
"  fields  arrayed  in  living  green  and  rivers  of  delight." 
Here  are  fields  laden  with  green,  intersected  in  every 
direction  by  canals,  on  the  banks  of  which  are  stately 
palms,  waving  their  feathery  fan-like  leaves  and 
interlacing  their  shadows  over  the  fellahin  villages, 
perched  like  ant-hills  on  embankments  or  mounds. 
Here  is  life,  animation ;  everything  looks  bright,  cheer- 
ful, hopeful.  God's  blessing  seems  to  rest  here,  giving 
peace  and  plenty.  The  blight  of  his  curse  seems  to  rest 
there ;  yet  but  a  line,  as  it  were,  divides  the  one  from 
the  other — life  here,  death  there. 

If  we  expect  to  visit  the  chambers  of  this  miniature 
mountain  of  stone,  which  measures  three  million  fifty- 
seven  thousand  cubic  yards,  and  weighs  six  million 
eight  hundred  and  forty-eight  thousand  tons,  it  is  time 
we  were  climbing  down  its  steep,  rugged  sides.  You 
found  it,  in  reference  to  the  threats  of  the  Bedouins,  as 


AND   THE    HOLY    LA.ND.  173 

I  told  you.  A  stranger  who  had  not  been  warned 
would  think  they  were  going  to  leave  him  helpless, 
upon  the  summit  of  the  pyramid,  and  comply  with  their 
demands,  which  are  always  exhorbitant.  The  usual  fee 
or  hire  for  two  assistants  is  an  amount  equal  to  our  fifty 
cents  each.  The  two  pullers  pay  the  pusher,  but  nearly 
all  travelers  give  them  twenty-five  cents  apiece  extra,  or 
as  "  buckshee, "  when  they  return  from  the  chambers. 
On  the  north  side  of  this  pyramid,  some  fifty  feet  on  a 
perpendicular  from  the  base  level,  we  find  the  entrance 
to  the  passage  which  leads  to  the  interior  chambers. 
This  passage  is  about  three  feet  square  and  descends  in 
a  straight  line  one  hundred  and  six  and  a  half  yards  at 
an  angle  of  twenty-six  degrees  forty  one  minutes. 
Twenty  yards  from  the  entrance  we  encounter  a  trian- 
gular trap-door  made  of  granite.  It  is  let  into  the  ceil- 
ing and  kept  in  place  by  iron  clamps.  It  is  so  hard 
that  the  Arabian  treasure  hunters  cut  a  way  around  it 
in  the  softer  limestone,  or  this  was  probably  done  by 
the  Persians,  who  entered  the  pyramids  500  B.  C. 

Just  beyond  this  door  we  find  another  passage  lead- 
ing upward  at  about  the  same  angle.  This  downward 
passage  terminates  in  a  horizontal  corridor  twenty- 
seven  feet  in  length,  three  feet  in  height,  and  two  feet 
in  width,  which  leads  to  the  subterranean  chamber,  a 
chamber  hewn  in  the  rock  upon  which  the  pyramid  is 
built.  The  east  and  the  west  sides  of  this  chamber  are 
forty-six  feet  in  length.  The  north  and  south  sides 
twenty-seven  feet ;  height  of  ceiling,  ten  and  a  half  feet. 
The  floor  of  this  chamber  is  one  hundred  feet  below 
the  level  of  the  stone  upon  which  the  pyramid  sits. 
This  chamber  evidently  was  dug  out  in  the  stone  and 
the  passageway  made  as  far  as  the  surface  before  the 


174:  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

pyramid  was  erected  ;  the  passage  way  being  continued 
as  the  work  progressed.  Now  we  will  retrace  our 
way  up  from  this  chamber  back  to  where  the  ascending 
passage  leading  upwards  intercepts  it. 

We  travel  this  way  forty-one  yards  and  enter  the 
great  hall,  and  now  we  feel  thankful,  for  we  can 
straighten  up  and  take  a  good,  full,  deep  breath,  for  we 
have  been  crawling  baby  fashion  all  this  time.  I  don't 
know  how  you  felt  going  down  that  long  damp  pas- 
sage. I  felt  like  I  was  crawling  down  the  barrel  of 
one  of  those  old  long  Choctaw  rifles,  expecting  it  to  go 
off  every  minute. 

This  great  hall  is  twenty -eight  feet  high,  six  feet 
wide,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  long.  At  the 
end  of  the  great  hall  is  a  small  horizontal  passage 
twenty-two  feet  long,  three  feet  eight  inches  high, 
which  at  about  the  middle  expands  into  a  small 
ante-chamber ;  we  pass  through  this  and  soon  reach  a 
chamber  called  the  "  Kings'  chamber."  The  north  and 
south  sides  of  this  chamber  are  seventeen  feet  in  length. 
The  east  and  west  sides  are  thirty -four  and  a  half  feet ; 
height  of  ceiling,  nineteen  feet.  The  floor  of  this 
chamber  is  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine  and  a  half  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  plateau  upon  which  the  pyramid 
rests.  This  chamber  is  lined  with  granite  and  roofed 
with  immense  granite  flags  eighteen  feet  long.  There 
is  an  old  mutilated  empty  sarcophagus  without  a  lid 
sitting  in  this  chamber.  Its  length  is  seven  and  a  half 
feet,  width  three  feet  three  inches,  height  three  feet 
four  inches.  Now  we  retrace  our  way  to  this  chamber 
until  we  pass  through  the  great  hall,  and  then  follow 
the  horizontal  passage  which  we  saw  diverging  at  that 
point.  Here  we  are;  this  you  will  find  leads  us  to 


AND  THE    HOLY    LAND.  175 

what  is  called  the  "  Queens'  chamber"  or  the  "Cham- 
ber of  the  Queens."  This  passage,  as  you  fully  realize 
while  crawling  through  it,  is  only  three  feet  nine 
inches  in  height,  but  before  reaching  the  chamber  the 
floor  sinks  down  somewhat,  and  the  height  increases  to 
five  feet  eight  inches.  This  chamber  is  seventeen  by 
eighteen  feet  ten  inches,  the  height  twenty  feet. 

The  architect  who  superintended  the  erection  of  the 
pyramid  was  careful  enough  not  to  place  these  cham- 
bers one  over  another,  as  the  immense  superincumbent 
weight  might  have  crushed  them  in.  Another  pre- 
caution was  taken  by  letting  the  ends  of  slabs  of  stone 
forming  the  roof  extend  far  enough  over  the  side 
walls  to  be  worked  into  the  outside  masonry.  The 
roofs  being  made  pointed,  the  ends  of  the  slabs  from 
each  side  rest  against  each  other  at  the  top.  Then 
again,  they  placed  hollow  chambers  above  these  large 
chambers,  to  make  less  weight  immediately  above  them. 
These  are  not  so  large,  and  are  difficult  of  access.  In 
one  of  these  cavities,  when  discovered  by  Colonel 
Campbell,  the  name  of  Khufu  was  found  engraven. 

The  notches  or  steps  on  the  side  of  this  pyramid  were 
originally  filled  in  with  blocks  of  triangular  stone, 
making  the  outer  surface  smooth.  It  was  just  as  we 
see  in  the  upper  part  of  the  pyramid  of  Cephron,  which 
is  near  this.  The  pyramid  of  Cephron,  being  on  a  higher 
plateau,  looks  to  be  as  high  as  Cheops,  but  actual  meas- 
urements show  that  to  the  apex,  which  has  never  been 
disturbed,  it  is  only  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  while 
Cheops  was  originally  four  hundred  and  eighty-two 
feet  in  height.  Cheops  contains  stone  enough  to  run  a 
wall  two  feet  thick  and  six  feet  high  from  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  to  San  Francisco,  California. 


176  TBAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

The  pyramid  of  Cephron  contains  several  chambers, 
the  dimensions  of  one  of  which  is  sixteen  and  one-half 
by  forty-six  and  one-half  feet,  and  twenty-two  and  a 
half  feet  to  the  ceiling.  When  this  chamber  was  dis- 
covered by  Belzoni  in  1815,  or  about  that  date,  it 
contained  a  sarcophagus  made  of  granite  let  into  the 
ground  and  filled  with  rubbish.  The  lid  was  broken. 
The  entrance  of  the  passage  leading  to  this  chamber 
can  be  seen  when  standing  at  the  foot  of  the  pyramid.  It 
is  about  thirty-eight  or  forty  feet  above  the  base  on  the 
north  side  of  the  pyramid,  as  are  all  of  the  entrances  to 
the  interior  chambers  in  all  of  the  pyramids,  i.  e.,  they 
open  out  on  the  north  side.  This  one  has  another 
entrance,  the  mouth  of  which  is  on  a  level  with  the 
base.  This  passage  at  first  is  at  an  angle  of  twenty -one 
degrees  forty  minutes,  and  reaches  a  trap-door,  after 
which  it  runs  horizontally  a  distance  of  fifty-nine  feet, 
then  ascends,  terminating  after  a  distance  in  all  of 
ninety -seven  feet  in  a  corridor  leading  to  the  chamber 
above  described.  From  this  corridor  another  passage 
leads  off  to  another  chamber.  How  could  these  pas- 
sages be  used  for  astronomical  purposes  ? 

The  third  large  pyramid  near  the  other  two  was 
built  by  Menkaura.  It  is  smaller  than  the  others,  the 
perpendicular  height  being  only  two  hundred  and  four 
feet,  the  sloping  sides  each  two  hundred  and  sixty-two 
feet.  Menkaura,  or  My cerinus,  the  son  of  Khufu  or 
Cheops,  reigned  after  the  death  of  his  uncle  Cephron, 
and  built  this  pyramid.  The  sarcophagus  which  was 
found  in  one  of  the  chambers  was  lost  off  the  coast  of 
Carthagena,  south  of  Spain,  with  the  vessel  in  which  it 
was  being  transported  to  England.  It  was  finely 
executed,  composed  of  brown  basalt,  showing  a  blue 


AND   THE    HOLT   LAND.  177 

tint  when  broken.  The  inscription  on  the  wooden  lid, 
now  in  theJJritish  museum,  reads  as  follows :  "  Osiris, 
King  Menkaura,  ever  living,  who  art  descended  from 
heaven,  who  wast  born  under  the  heart  of  Nut  and 
heir  of  the  sun.  Thy  mother,  Nut,  spreads  herself 
over  thee  in  her  name,  which  is  the  mystery  of  heaven. 
She  has  granted  thee  to  be  like  a  god  annihilating  thy 
enemies.  King  Menkaura,  ever  living." 

Herodotus  says  Menkaura  built  this  pyramid,  and  the 
discovery  of  the  sarcophagus  and  this  wooden  lid  with 
the  above  quoted  inscription  confirms  it.  Let  me  say 
to  the  young  reader  of  these  pages  that  there  is  a 
difference  of  opinion  entertained  by  Egyptologists  as  to 
the  date  of  the  erection  of  these  pyramids,  growing  out 
of  an  inability  to  determine  the  number  of  years  to  be 
included  in  a  dynasty,  or  the  length  of  time  a  family 
reigned.  If  only  one  member  of  a  family  reigned  at  a 
time  the  sum  of  years  of  a  dynasty  would  extend  over 
a  longer  period  of  time  necessarily  than  if  two  or  more 
of  the  same  family  were  kings  over  different  sections  or 
provinces  of  Egypt,  at  the  same  time.  If,  for  instance, 
the  families  or  dynasties  of  the  Thinites  and  Memph- 
ites  and  others  reigned  in  succession  and  their  reigns 
be  simply  added  together,  the  sum  which  results  would 
be  large  and  run  dates  much  farther  back  than  if  it  be 
assumed,  as  is  done  by  Manetho,  that  several  of  the  same 
family  reigned  cotemporaneously  in  different  parts  of 
the  country. 

This  difference  of  opinion  renders  uncertain  not  only 
the  exact  time  the  pyramids  were  built,  but  it  also 
throws  a  doubt  or  uncertainty  as  to  when  old  Memphis 
was  founded  by  Menes,  who  is  regarded  as  the  first 


178  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

earthly  king  of  Egypt,  all  others  prior  to  him  being 
considered  mythical. 

The  priest  Manetho,  who  was  said  to  have  been  born 
at  Sebennytus,  where  the  interesting  modern  town  of 
Semen nud  ( a  densely  packed  mass  of  low  mud  hovels), 
now  stands,  being  acquainted  with  the  Greek  language, 
was  employed  by  King  Ptolemy  II  B.  C.  2S4-Si46  to 
translate  the  ancient  historical  works  preserved  in  the 
temples.  "  This  history  enjoyed  a  high  reputation  at 
a  later  period,  but  was  lost  with  the  exception  of  his 
lists  of  the  kings  and  their  dates,  which  has  been  partly 
transmitted  to  us  by  Josephus  and  partly  by  Christian 
historians." 

Mariette,  adopting  Manetho's  dates,  places  the  date  of 
the  building  of  the  three  great  pyramids  which  I  have 
imperfectly  described  at  something  over  four  thousand 
years  before  the  present  era,  while  Professor  Lepsius,  the 
distinguished  German  Egyptologist,  who  was  president 
of  the  Prussian  expedition  and  who  has  made' several 
important  discoveries  and  found  no  fewer  than  thirty 
pyramids  which  had  been  unknown  to  previous  travel- 
ers, fixes  the  date  at  3124/B.  C.  Sir  Gardner  Wilkinson 
fixes  it  at  2450  B.C.,  so  that,  according  to  the  most  recent 
date  preferred  by  those  who  have  investigated  and 
studied  this  question,  fixes  the  build  ing  of  these  wonderful 
colossal  piles  of  stone  at  over  four  thousand  years 
ago.  The  recent  discovery  at  Bubastes,  before  men- 
tioned, sets  all  these  dates  back  at  least  eight 
hundred  years,  which  would  place  the  date  of  the 
building  of  the  pyramids  at  not  less  than  five  thousand 
years  ago. 

If  my  readers  have  had  their  curiosity  excited  by 
what  I  have  told  them  of  the  pyramids,  and  they  desire 


AND   THE    HOLY   LAND.  179 

to  learn  more  of  the  particulars  of  these  world- wide 
wonders,  they  will  find  Dr.  Ford's  work  on  the  "  Pyra- 
mids "  very  interesting,  although  I  differ  in  opinion  with 
the  Doctor  as  to  the  purposes  for  which  they  were 
built. 

About  six  hundred  paces  east  of  the  second  pyramid 
we  find  the  Sphinx.  Until  recently,  the  head,  neck 
and  a  small  part  of  the  back  was  all  of  the  Sphinx 
that  could  be  seen,  the  balance  being  covered  by  the 
ever-shifting  sand  of  the  desert.  The  greater  part  of 
the  body  and  all  the  trunk  down  to  the  stone  upon 
which  rest  the  paws  of  the  lion  can  now  be  seen. 

The  Sphinx,  like  the  pyramids,  because  it  stands  as 
they  do  on  a  vast  plain  of  sand,  with  no  object  near 
it  by  which  a  comparison  could  be  made,  looks  much 
smaller  than  it  really  is. 

The  Sphinx  measures  from  the  slab  upon  which  its 
fore-paws  rest  to  the  top  of  the  head,  seventy-four  feet. 
It  is  a  huge  crouched  lion,  ninety  feet  long  and  seventy- 
four  feet  high,  having  a  woman's  face.  This  woman's 
face  measures  thirteen  feet  across.  The  ears  are  four 
and  one-half  feet  long,  the  nose  five  feet  seven  inches, 
and  the  mouth  seven  feet  seven  inches.  Think  of  a 
mouth  seven  feet  seven  inches  long,  and  belonging  to  a 
woman  !  Jerusalem !  I  would  love  to  hear  her  shout — 
she  would  count  for  two  at  a  camp-meeting.  If  you 
stand  upon  the  upper  part  of  the  ear  you  can  not  stretch 
your  hand  as  far  as  the  crown  of  the  head. 

The  face  is  now  very  much  mutilated  and  defaced, 
the  nose  being  entirely  destroyed.  It  is  a  shame  that 
the  face  of  this  celebrated  monument  of  antiquity  should 
have  been  used  by  the  barbarous  Mamelukes  for  a 
target  in  the  thirteenth  century  of  the  present  era. 


180  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

These  blacks  were  purchased  b\T  the  sultans  of  Egypt 
and  trained  as  soldiers  for  the  purpose  of  forming  their 
body-guard,  and  to  act  as  a  nucleus  of  an  army. 

The  Arabs  call  the  Sphinx  Abulhoe,  i.  e.,  Father  of 
Terror  ( I  don't  see  why  they  don't  call  it  "  Mother 
of  Terror,"  except  that  they  think  it  would  be  too 
great  a  compliment  to  women),  or  formerly  "  Belhit," 
signifying  a  person  who  carries  his  heart  or  his  intelli- 
gence in  his  eyes,  or  "the  watchful."  They  believed 
that  the  figure  possesses  the  supernatural  power  of  pre- 
venting the  sand  of  the  desert  from  encroaching  upon 
their  arable  lands. 

In  1817,  Caviglia,  a  bold  but  uneducated  seaman, 
partially  excavated  the  Sphinx,  but  since  then  the 
entire  body  has  been  excavated  by  Mariette.  When 
partially  excavated  by  Caviglia  an  inscription  was 
found  back  under  the  breast  of  the  lion,  bearing  the 
date  of  the  reign  of  Thothmes  the  Third,  of  the  eight- 
eenth dynasty,  about  1600  B.  C.  In  1843,  however,  it 
was  pointed  out  by  Lepsius  that  the  Sphinx  must 
have  been  founded  earlier  than  that  date.  As  the 
Sphinx  lies  nearly  in  a  line  with  the  pyramid  built  by 
Cephron,  it  was  not  unnaturally  thought  that  he  was 
the  founder  of  both.  This  opinion  seems  to  have  been 
confirmed  by  the  discovery  of  the  rock  statue  of 
Cephron  in  the  granite  temple  adjoining  the  Sphinx. 
It  was  founded  by  Cephron,  and  dates  back  to  the 
period  of  his  reign,  i.  <?.,  about  4,000  B.  C. 

This  monument  has  been  supposed  to  antedate  even 
this  period,  for  M.  Mariette,  while  examining  a  ruined 
building  at  the  foot  of  the  southern-most  of  these  pyr- 
amids which  rise  to  the  east  of  the  great  pyramid, 
found  a  stone  built  into  a  wall  bearing  an  inscrip- 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  181 

tion  that  seemed  to  imply  that  the  Sphinx  existed  at 
the  time  Khufu  built  the  great  pyramid,  which  was 
perhaps  the  first  one  built. 

The  inscription  refered  to  runs  thus :  "  The  living 
Horus,  King  of  Upper  and  Lower  Egypt,  Khufu,  the 
life  dispensing,  founded  the  temple  of  Isis,  the  patroness 
of  the  pyramid  in  the  place ;  i.  e.  (near  or  in  the  vicin- 
ity of )  the  temple  of  the  Sphinx." 

From  this  it  would  appear  that  the  Sphinx  existed 
in  the  days  of  Khufu,  who,  according  to  Mariette, 
reigned  B.  C.  4235 ;  but  according  to  Lepsius,  3124  B. 
C.,  and  as  computed  by  Sir  Gardner  Wilkinson, 
2450  B.  C.,  and  by  date  found  at  Bubastis,  4206 
B.  C. 

The  Sphinx,  unlike  most  other  monuments,  was 
made  or  chiseled  out  of  the  rock  underlying  the  sand 
of  the  desert,  the  stone  being  cut  away  on  all  sides, 
leaving  a  huge  block  standing  in  situ  out  of  which  the 
Sphinx  was  carved. 

The  question  naturally  arises  in  the  mind,  what  was 
this  immense  figure  of  a  lion  with  a  woman's  face  made 
for  ?  "  The  Greeks  and  Romans  called  the  Sphinx 
'  Harmachis '  or  '  Armachis,'  which  is  equivalent  to  the 
ancient  Egyptian  'Haremkhu.'  *.  e.,  Horus,  on  the  hori- 
zon, or  the  sun  in  the  act  of  rising.  Harmachis  is  the 
new-born  light  which  conquered  darkness  and  the  soul 
which  overcomes  death,  or  fertility  which  expels  bar- 
renness. 

"  Harmachis,  or  the  Sphinx,  placed  in  a  burial  place 
promises  resurrection  of  the  dead.  Turned  directly 
facing  the  east,  his  face  first  reflects  the  rays  of  the 
rising  sun,  and  he  illumines  the  world  after  the  dark- 
ness of  night ;  located  on  the  border  of  the  desert,  he 


182  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

overcomes  sterility  and  prevents  the  sand  from  over- 
whelming the  fields. 

"  Every  king  of  Egypt  was  regarded  as  an  earthly 
incarnation  of  the  sun  god  and  also,  as  many  monu- 
ments testify,  of  Ra,  Harmachis,  god  of  the  rising 
sun."  It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  they  chose 
the  Sphinx  to  symbolize  the  divine  nature  of  their 
mission  as  monarchs,  and  it  was  a  favorite  practice  to 
crown  the  lion's  body  with  a  head  bearing  their  own 
features.  The  Sphinx  representing  a  king  is  called 
"Neb  "or  "Lord." 

The  Assyrians  carved  their  sphinxes  with  wings,  as 
symbols  of  speed,  and  as  having  the  power  of  rising 
above  earthly  things. 

Reader,  the  above  quotation  from  one  of  the  best,  if 
not  the  very  best,  authority  upon  this  subject  explains 
to  you  what  the  Sphinx  was  built  for,  and  answers  the 
question  as  fully  and  as  satisfactorily  as  it  can  be 
answered,  to  the  mind  in  which  such  ideas  or  thoughts 
have  never  found  lodgment. 

The  Sphinx  is  an  image  of  a  funeral  god,  the  genius 
of  the  rising  sun. 

'  It  seems,"  says  Ampere,  "  like  an  eternal  spectre. 
This  stone  phantom  appears  attentive,  one  would  say 
that  it  hears  and  sees.  Its  great  ears  collect  the  sounds 
of  the  past ;  its  eyes,  directed  to  the  east,  gaze  into  the 
future;  an  image  of  perfect  calm  contemplating  the 
unchangeable  in  the  midst  of  all  change." 

We  will  now  visit  the  granite  chamber,  or  temple, 
which  is  only  a  few  steps  southeast  of  the  Sphinx.  It 
is  a  large  building  constructed  of  granite  and  alabaster, 
discovered  by  Mariette  in  1853.  The  building  is  a  fine 
example  of  the  perfection  to  which  the  architecture  of 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  183 

that  remote  period  had  attained.  The  chisel  which 
shaped  these  hard  stones,  the  granite  and  alabaster, 
with  such  exquisite  skill  could  doubtless  have  executed 
the  beautiful  statue  of  King  Khaf  ra,  or  Cephron,  the 
builder  of  the  second  large  pyramid,  which  was  found 
in  a  well  of  water  in  this  chamber,  and  which  we  will 
see  when  we  visit  the  museum. 

"  The  entrance  to  the  granite  chamber  has  been  walled 
in  on  each  side,  to  prevent  its  being  obstructed  by  the 
drifting  of  the  sand.  This  entrance  leads  into  a  passage 
about  six  feet  wide  and  seventy-nine  feet  long.  About 
midway  of  this  passage  is  the  entrance  of  a  chamber 
constructed  of  blocks  of  alabaster.  Opposite  to  this  is 
the  entrance  to  a  flight  of  steps  which  turns  at  a  right 
angle  and  ascend  to  a  small  chamber.  This  passage 
and  chamber  are  constructed  of  alabaster.  The  long 
corridor  or  passage  leads  to  a  hall  twenty-three  by 
seventy -nine  feet ;  the  roof  of  the  hall  is  supported  by 
granite  columns  from  three  to  four  feet  in  thickness ; 
the  granite  columns  supporting  large  granite  blocks 
extending  from  one  to  the  other.  Adjoining  this  hall 
on  the  west  is  another  similar  hall  fifty-seven  feet  long 
and  twenty-nine  feet  wide,  the  ceiling  of  which  is  sup- 
ported by  ten  columns  of  granite  in  two  rows." 

In  one  of  the  chambers  of  this  building  Mariette 
fonnd  no  less  than  nine  statues  of  Cephron.  The  best 
of  these  we  will  see,  as  before  stated,  in  the  museum. 
He  found  also  several  dog-headed  apes  executed  in 
stone. 

I  ha,ve  said  this  much  of  the  granite  chamber,  that 
you  may  form  a  more  correct  idea  of  how  these  old 
Egyptians  did  their  work.  As  to  their  architectural 
skill  and  work  as  artisans  and  masons,  they  have  left 


184  TEAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

everlasting  monuments,  monuments  which  challenge 
our  admiration  and  defy  competition. 

Among  the  tombs  surrounding  the  pyramid,  for  you 
must  remember  these  pyramids  of  Gizeh  are  on  the 
Necropolis  or  burying-place  of  the  old  city  of  Memphis, 
Hosea  says,  "  Egypt  shall  gather  them  and  Memphis 
shall  bury  them."  There  are  two  which  I  want  you  to 
visit  with  me.  The  one  to  which  we  now  go  is  called 
the  tomb  of  Numbers.  The  gentleman  and  his  wife 
who  are  buried  here  were  named  Mr.  or  perhaps  "  Sir," 
or  it  may  be  "Lord"  Cafra-ankh  and  his  wife,  Madam 
Herneka  (Kaafra-ankh);  both  being  blood  relations  of 
the  king,  were  recognized  as  being  of  the  nobility.  I 
supposed  they  lived  as  became  their  rank,  and  you 
will  see  that  they  were  buried  as  became  their  rank, 
or  as  the  nobility  wish  to  be  buried.  He  is  extolled  as 
the  illustrious  priest  oe  the  pyramid  of  Khafra,  sur- 
named  the  "  Great." 

They  are  interred,  as  you  see,  in  a  stone  house  which 
he  had  built  while  living,  and  as  we  examine  these 
pictures,  numbers,  hieroglyphic  inscriptions  chiseled 
in  the  walls  you  will  find  he  had  a  weakness  such  as 
many  of  the  rich  of  the  present  day  have,  *.  e.,  they 
want  the  people  who  live  after  them  to  know  that  they 
died  rich.  We  have  but  to  go  through  one  of  our  mod- 
ern cemeteries  to  see  this  vanity  in  death  exemplified. 
If  with  this  display  of  wealth  the  "how  he  made  it" 
could  be  inscribed  on  the  costly  marble  monuments,, 
now,  reader,  I  don't  know,  but  I  imagine  one  of  the 
first  clauses  found  in  some  of  their  wills  would  read 
about  as  follows  :  "It  is  my  will  that  a  plain  unpretend- 
ing granite  or  marble  slab  be  placed  over  my  tomb,  this 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  185 

and  nothing  more.  Inscribe  thereon  plain  John  Jones' 
body  rests  here." 

Here  you  see  on  the  east  wall  of  the  principal  cham- 
ber this  straight  mark  thus  I  ,  that  means  one. 
This  horse-shoe  made  thus  "n"  means  ten.  Place 
the  mark  "I"  and  the  "n"  together  and  it  makes 
eleven.  Now  this  double  turn  O  made  thus  O  means 
one  hundred.  So  we  can  now  count  up  Lord  Khaf  ra- 
ankh's  (Khaf  ra-ankh)  wealth  at  the  time  of  his  decease. 
These  are  his  assets.  He  does  not  give  us  his  indebted- 
ness. It  is  presumable  he,  unlike  the  most  of  rich  men, 
was  out  of  debt.  These  writings  and  figures  say  he 
had  §§£§  =800andfififiiiin=835.  These  figures, 
coupled  with  the  figure  of  a  bull,  tell  us  that  he  had 
eight  hundred  and  thirty-five  bulls,  and  in  a  similar 
manner  he  tells  us  he  had  two  hundred  and  twenty 
muley  or  no-horned  cattle ;  also  seven  hundred  and 
sixty  donkeys  ;  two  thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  goats  of  the  antelope  kind,  and  nine  hundred  and 
seventy-four  goats.  He  does  not  seem  to  have  been  a 
very  extensive  stock  raiser  after  all.  Some  of  our 
Western  Texas  stockmen,had  this  man  lived  near  them, 
would  have  absorbed  that  little  ranch  in  a  short  time. 
We  find  in  addition  to  these  figures  enumerating  the 
amount  of  his  stock,  representations  of  a  river  voyage, 
the  felling  of  trees,  measuring  corn,  etc.  On  one  wall 
we  find  chiseled  a  portrait  of  this  gentleman  and  his 
wife  taken  in  a  sitting  posture  with  a  table  covered 
with  offerings  before  them,  and  here  we  leave  them. 

I  want  to  show  you  Campbell's  tomb.  This  tomb 
was  discovered  by  Colonel  Vise  in  1837,  in  making  ex- 
cavations, and  named  by  him  after  Colonel  Campbell, 
the  then  British  Consul  General  of  Egypt. 


186  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

These  tombs  are  at  the  bottom  of  a  shaft  thirty  feet 
one  way  and  twenty -six  the  other,  fifty-three  and  three- 
fourths  deep.  One  of  the  tombs  was  of  red  granite  and 
prismatic  in  form.  The  arched  lid  beamthe  portrait  of 
a  bearded  mummy  at  one  end,  and  at  the  other  a  pro- 
fusion of  funeral  scenes,  etc.  Two  were  in  basalt  and 
one  in  whitish  quartz  ore  stone.  There  were  no  bodies 
found  in  these  tombs  when  discovered. 

By  walking  around  the  plateau  of  the  pyramids 
numerous  excavated -tombs  may  be  seen,  some  of  great 
interest.  On  many  inscriptions  were  found  which  have 
been  of  great  assistance  in  collecting  dates  of  dynas- 
ties, etc.  But  we  have  no  time  to  make  this  circuit 
now,  as  you  see  the  sun  is  sinking  behind  this  great 
ocean  of  sand,  this  Bedouin's  home,  the  desert. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

AS  we  rode  out  here  this  morning  you  remember  we 
met  the  Fellahin  going  into  the  city  with  their 
camels  and  donkeys,  amounting' to  hundreds,  all  loaded 
with  the  fresh-mown  clover.  You  doubtless  saw  the 
little  house  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  road  just  this 
side  of  the  bridge  over  the  Nile.  That  is  a  tax  col- 
lector's office.  Each  donkey-load,  I  am  told,  is  taxed 
twenty-five  cents,  and  each  camel-load  forty  cents,  and 
these  tillers  of  the  soil  are  not  allowed  to  carry  their 
produce  to  the  market  until  the  tax  is  paid.  That  is 
about  equal  to  the  McKinley  tariff  bill.  But  these 
poor  tillers  of  the 'soil  are  doing  what  we  are  said  to 
be  doing,  i.  e.,  paying  a  war  debt !  If  our  people  enact  a 
few  more  McKinley  tariff  bills,  carry  out  their  sub- 
treasury  schemes,  pass  the  force  bill,  repeal  the  exemp- 
tion laws,  etc.,  it  won't  be  many  years  until  American 
Fellahin  will  have  the  chains  and  the  curse  of  extreme 
poverty  as  securely  riveted  upon  them  as  the  Fellahin 
of  Egypt  have  to-day.  This,  however,  is  but  the 
writer's  opinion ;  take  it  as  such  and  for  what  you, 
reader,  may  think  it  worth. 

Now,  as  we  drive  back  to  the  city,  you  see  we  are 
meeting  a  long  procession  of  camels,  donkeys  and 
Arabs  returning  from  the  city  where  they  have  been 
to  sell  their  produce,  as  above  stated.  I  dare  say  their 
pockets  are  about  as  empty  of  cash  as  a  doctor's,  a 
preacher's  or  an  editor's. 

Reader,  there  goes  a  pretty  little  donkey.    It  is  an 

187 


188  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

imposition  for  that  big  Arab  to  ride  such  a  little  crea- 
ture. Do  you  know  what  one  of  our  fashionable 
young  American  ladies  would  say  about  that  little 
donkey  ?  She  would  say,  "  O  my  !  Isn't  it  cute  ?  It's 
awful  sweet.  It's  a  real  little  darling.  It's  a  dear 
little  creature,  isn't  it  ?  " 

See  this  same  girl  at  home,  she  can  sit  in  the  parlor 
and  giggle  and  sniggle  with  an  empty-headed  dude  for 
hours,  while  she  insists  in  giving  her  mother  lessons 
in  "  physical  culture "  in  the  kitchen,  ostensibly  for 
fear  of  soiling  her  little  white  hands,  intrinsically  and 
truthfully  because  she  has  been  indulged  and  petted  by 
the  fond  parents  and  allowed  to  sit  in  idleness,  till  now 
she  is  an  "it;"  an  empty-headed  and  empty -hearted, 
fashionable  nondescript;  a  thing  to  excite  the  sym- 
pathies and  pity  of  all  sensible  men  .and  women. 

As  we  are  to  visit  the  site  of  old  Memphis  to-morrow 
morning,  and  as  it  is  three  miles  to  the  station  where 
we  take  the  train,  we  must  have  an  early  breakfast,  to 
reach  the  station  by  8.30  A.  M.  And  now,  don't  forget 
that  we  must  take  a  luncheon,  for  we  will  be  out  on  the 
desert  until  about  four  o'clock  p.  .M,  and  we  must  order 
donkeys  to  take  with  us  on  the  train  as  far  up  the  river 
valley  as  Bedrasheen,  at  which  station  we  get  off 
and  mount  our  donkeys.  Before  we  separate  for  the 
night,  however,  let  me  tell  you  something  about  the  old 
city.  I  will,  therefore,  first  read  this  short  historical 
account  of  the  place. 

"Menes,"  " the  enduring,"  "the  eternal,"  who  is 
placed  by  the  Egyptians  at  the  head  of  all  their 
dynasties  (having  been  immediately  preceded  by  the 
dynasty  of  the  gods),  described  as  a  man  of  "  This,"  a 
district  near  Abydos,  in  central  Egypt,  the  district 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  189 

which  Diodorus  calls  the  oldest  part  of  Egypt,  is  said 
to  have  been  the  founder  of  the  empire,  and  the  builder 
of  Memphis. 

"Herodotus  states  that  he  was  told  by  the  Egyptian 
priests  that  Menes  had  constructed  an  embankment 
across  the  Nile,  about  one  hundred  stadia  above  Mem- 
phis, and  thus  compelled  the  river  which  had  formerly 
flowed  past  the  Libyan  to  quit  its  old  channel  and  to 
run  between  the  two  ranges  of  hills.  When  the  land 
thus  reclaimed  had  become  sufficiently  firm,  he  built 
upon  it  the  city  of  Memphis,  situated  in  the  narrow 
part  of  Egypt.  To  the  north  and  west  of  the  city,  as 
they  informed  him,  Menes  caused  a  lake  to  be  excavated 
for  its  defense,  and  to  be  filled  with  water  from  the 
river  which  protected  the  town  on  the  east  side;  while 
within  the  city  he  erected  the  great  and  memorable 
temple  of  Ptah." 

The  whole  history  of  this  ancient  city  is  intimately 
associated  with  this  vast  temple  or  sanctuary,  which 
enclosed  within  its  sacred  precincts  the  smaller  temples 
of  other  gods.  It  was  surrounded  by  a  strong  wall, 
and  must  have  commanded  the  city  like  a  huge  castle. 
Memphis,like  all  the  Egyptian  towns,  wasknown  by  sev- 
eral different  names.  First,  it  was  called  "city  of  the 
white  wall."  Another  name  by  which  it  was  known 
was  derived  from  the  name  of  the  deity  most  highly 
revered  by  the  citizens,  i.e., "  Ha  Ptah  "  (house  of  Ptah). 
Lastly,  it  was  known  by  the  popular  name  of  "  Menefer," 
i.  e.,  "good  place,  or  haven  of  the  good."  The  "r" 
was  then  dropped,  and  thus  arose  the  Coptic  form, 
"  Menfi  "  or  "  Menifi,"  which  the  Greeks  and  Romans 
changed  to  Memphis. 

Menes,   who,    according    to  the   difference  in  the 


190  TJBAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

estimate  of  the  Egyptologists  herein  referred  to, 
founded  the  old  city,  whose  site  we  propose  visiting 
to-morrow,  between  five  and  six  thousand  years 
ago.  What  can  interest  us  more  than  to  visit 
the  ruins  of  what  was  five  or  six  thousand  years  ago 
regarded  as  a  large,  prosperous  and  magnificent 
city  ?  It  is  true  but  little  remains  of  the  former 
city.  In  fact,  we  only  find  scattered  over  the  ground 
blocks  of  granite,  broken  pottery,  and  fragments  of 
brick,  the  site  being  now  covered  with  a  beautiful  grove 
of  palms.  Its  necropolis,  or  bury  ing-place,  however, 
gives  us  an  idea  of  the  population  it  once  contained. 
Mariette  gives  its  dimensions  as  seven  thousand,  seven 
hundred  yards  in  length,  and  from  five  hundred  to  six- 
teen hundred  yards  in  width.  But  even  from  its  ruins 
we  can  observe  and  learn  that  the  old  Egyptians  built 
their  edifices,  with  the  exception  of  their  palaces  and 
temples,  of  large  sun-dried  bricks,  made,  as  they  were 
by  the  Israelites,  of  Nile  mud. 

How  striking  the  contrast,  when  compared  with  one 
of  our  modern  cities,  can  be  readily  conjectured,  espec- 
ially by  one  who  has  seen  the  numerous  mud  villages 
a8  they  exist  in  this  same  country  at  the  present  time. 

The  cities  of  the  old  Egyptians  which  surrounded 
their  great  temples  were  of  the  same  rude  order  of 
architecture,  and  constructed  of  the  same  gross  material 
as  now.  Their  temples,  their  pyramids,  their  sar- 
cophagi, their  obelisks,  and  their  statues  whereupon 
they  gave  expression  to  their  thoughts,  emotions  and 
the  finer  sentiments  of  their  nature,  show  conclusively, 
however  that  they  were  a  refined,  cultivated,  intelli- 
gent people. 

I  ask  my  Masonic  brethren  to  read  carefully  and  crit- 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  191 

ically  the  chapters  in  this  book  in  which  I  present  an 
outline  of  the  religion  of  the  ancient  Egyptians,  and 
then  read  the  descriptions  I  have  given  of  their  wonder- 
ful skill  in  operative  Masonry.  I  think  every  lover  of 
the  mystic  order  will  be  able  to  connect  the  one  with 
the  other.  Think  of  the  responses  which  come  up 
from  the  three  principle  stations  of  the  lodge,  and  then 
think  of  Heliopolis,  "  city  of  the  sun,"  think  of  the 
great  temple  of  Ptah,  think  of  Karnak  with  its  now 
standing  one  hundred  and  forty  granite  pillars  seventy 
feet  high,  with  chapters  sixty-five  feet  in  circumfer- 
ence, a  temple  twelve  hundred  feet  long,  and  three 
hundred  and  sixty  wide,  filled  inside  and  out  with 
historic  records,  beautifully  chiseled  in  its  granite  walls. 
Nowhere  on  the  earth  can  such  masonry  be  found. 
Shame  on  the  man  who  would  attempt  to  say  that  our 
grand  moral  edifice  has  any  connection  with  or  simili- 
tude to  the  "Palm  and  shell"  or  eating  salt  with 
robbing  dervishes. 

Menes  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Atahuti,  or  Athosis, 
who  selected  Memphis  as  his»capital,  and  is  said  to  have 
built  the  royal  palace.  It  is  known  that  during  Atahu- 
ti's  reign  and  that  of  his  immediate  successors  of  the 
primeval  monarchy,  this  city  attained  its  greatest 
prosperity.  "  The  city  was  extended  and  the  temple 
embellished  by  each  of  the  Pharaohs."  The  temple 
was  devoted  to  the  worship,  in  the  main,  of  Ptah,  as  you 
know,  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  Egyptian  gods.  I 
have  already  given  an  outline  of  the  religious  doctrines 
of  the  ancient  Egyptians,  but  further  request  you  to 
read  what  a  learned  writer  says  in  regard  to  it. 

"As  regards  the  theology  of  the  Egyptians,  and 
their  system  of  ideas,  we  meet  with  difficulty  from 


192  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

the  law  of  secrecy,  which  was  their  habit  of  mind.  The 
Egyptian  priesthood  enveloped  with  mystery  every 
opinion,  just  as  they  swathed  the  bodies  of  their  dead, 
fold  above  fold,  in  preparing  them  for  the  tomb.  The 
names  and  number  of  their  gods  we  learn  from  the 
monuments.  Their  legends  concerning  them  come  to 
us  through  Plutarch,  Herodotus,  Diodorus.  and  other 
Greek  writers.  Their  doctrine  of  a  future  life  and 
future  judgment  is  apparent  in  their  ceremonies,  the 
pictures  on  the  tombs,  and  the  papyrus  Books  of  the 
Dead.  But  what  these  gods  mean,  what  are  their 
offices,  how  they  stand  related  to  each  other  and  to 
mankind,  what  is  the  ethnical  (or  race)  bearing  of  their 
religion,  it  is  not  so  easy  to  learn." 

Reader,  remember  there  are  over  four  hundred 
Mohammedan  mosques,  or  houses  of  worship  in  this  city, 
and  just  at  daylight  you  will  hear  over  four  hundred 
muezzins  (keepers  of  the  mosques)  crying  out  the  hour 
of  prayer.  They  sing  out  (I  suppose  they  intend  it  for 
singing ;  you  would  never  recognize  it  as  such,  how- 
ever) "  Allah  Hu-ak-bar.  _  Ash  ha  du  anna  la  Allah 
itaha  ill  Allah  wa,  Muhanmedu  rasul  Allah."  (God  is 
great !  God  is  great !  There  is  no  God  but  God,  and 
Mohammed  is  the  Prophet  of  God.  Come  to  prayer.) 
Now,  my  friend,  when  you  are  awakened  by  these 
callers  to  prayer,  get  up.  Good  night ! 

"All  aboard"  is  what  would  be  said  in  our  country, 
but  here  a  bell  rings  the  train  off.  On  leaving  the 
station,  we  notice  that  the  pyramids  we  visited  yester- 
day, now  on  our  right,  are  seen  in  such  a  position  that 
the  great  pyramid,  Cheops,  conceals  the  other  two. 
This  lofty  wall  on  our  left  encloses  the  large  estate  at 
Ghizeh,  which  comprises  the  dwellings,  gardens,  green- 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  193 

houses,  etc.,  which  once  belonged  to  the  Khedive,  but  is 
now  the  property  of  the  state.  Having  passed  this,  we 
can  see  the  site  of  old  Cairo,  with  its  numerous  old 
wind-mills  yet  standing.  The  Arabs  say  these  wind- 
mills were  erected  during  the  Roman  occupation  of  the 
country,  which  comprised  the  period  from  30  B.  C.  to 
360  A.  D 

Now  look  to  the  right  and  you  will  see  the  hills  of 
the  Libyan  desert,  and  also  the  pyramids  of  Abu'sir. 
You  can  see  the  step  pyramid,  but  only  for  a  short 
time.  But,  here  we  are  at  Bedrasheen,  fourteen  miles, 
where  we  get  off.  Now  for  a  donkey  ride. 

Here  are  donkeys  and  donkey  boys  by  the  dozen. 
Such  a  jargon,  such  confusion,  such  yelling !  They  push 
the  donkeys  up  all  around  you,  under  you  if  they  can. 
They  take  you  up  and  try  to  put  you  on  the  donkeys. 
They  resist  by  importunities  all  efforts  you  may  make 
at  a  selection.  You  can  have  no  peace  or  independent 
action  till  you  mount  a  donkey  and  tell  the  boy  by  a 
sign  to  get  you  away  from  the  mob ;  then  you  catch 
your  breath  and  say :  "  Thank  the  Lord." 

Now,  reader,  we  will  get  away  from  here.  You  say 
your  donkey  is  without  a  bridle.  Well,  what  good 
would  a  bridle  do  you  ?  You  can  steady  yourself  with 
that  halter  line ;  that  is  all  the  good  a  bridle  would  do 
you.  Turn  a  donkey  with  a  bridle !  Who  ever  heard  of 
such  a  delusion  ?  You  had  as  well  expect  to  extinguish 
the  fires  of  Vesuvius  with  a  bucket  of  water.  Sit  back  on 
the  loins  of  the  donkey,  lay  your  legs  straight  out 
before  you  on  the  saddle,  and  don't  let  any  part  of  them 
hang  down  except  from  the  bend  of  the  knees,  or  sit 
sideways,  woman-fashion,  if  you  would  rather.  Say,  have 
you  noticed  that  all  these  peasant  women  ride  daddy 


104:  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

fashion  ?  They  don't  ride  all  on  one  side,  like  our 
ladies.  Now  you  are  all  right ;  when  you  want  your 
donkey  to  go  to  the  right,  hit  him  on  the  left  side  of 
the  head,  and  vice  versa.  Here  we  go ;  the  donkey  boy 
will  do  the  firing  and  keep  up  steam. 

For  twenty  minutes  we  ride  along  an  embankment 
with  green  fields  on  each  side.  How  luxuriant  is  every 
manner  of  growth  in  this  fertile  valley  !  Our  road  is 
now  nearing  a  magnificent  palm  grove.  This  mud- 
house  village  which  we  have  been  passing  on  our  right 
is  called  Bedrasheen. 

Here  we  ascend  an  elevated  plateau  covered  with 
palm  trees,  and  upon  the  margin  of  the  plateau  we 
come  to  the  colossal  statue  of  Barneses  II.  In  making 
excavations  at  Bubastis  a  very  few  years  ago  four  pairs 
of  colossal  statues  of  this  widely  advertised  man  were 
found.  Two  were  of  black  granite  of  great  size,  with 
eyes  seven  inches  in  length ;  two  in  gray  and  two  in 
green,  and  two  in  red  granite.  This  statue  was  made 
of  hard,  fine-grained  limestone.  It  has  now  fallen 
down,  but  when  standing  it  was  forty -two  feet  high.  Now 
turn  to  the  llth  verse  of  the  1st  chapter  of  Exodus 
and  read  aloud :  "  Therefore  they  did  set  over  them 
taskmasters  to  afflict  them  with  their  burdens,  and 
they  built  for  Pharaoh  treasure  cities,  Pithon  and 
Ramses."  I  will  call  your  attention  to  this  further  on. 

This  is  the  statue  of  the  king  that  knew  not  Joseph 
and  proved  himself  to  be  an  unfeeling  tyrant  by  the  way 
he  treated  the  Hebrews,  as  you  have  just  read.  I  will 
show  you  the  man  himself,  i.  e.,  his  mummy,  all  that  is 
left  of  him.  You  must  remember  he  has  been  dead  over 
three  thousand  years,  and  he  now  looks  somewhat  dried 
up.  We  will  see  him,  however,  at  the  Bulak  museum. 


RAMESES  II. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  195 

In  a  papyrus  preserved  at  Leyden  the  writer,  Kenia- 
men,  writes  the  following  report  to  his  superior,  (Hui), 
an  important  official  under  Pharoah  (Rameses  II). 
'  Therefore,  I  heard  the  message  of  the  eye  (an  official 
title)  of  my  master  saying :  '  Give  corn  to  the  Egyptian 
soldiers  and  to  the  Hebrews  who  polished  stones 
for  the  construction  of  the  great  stone  houses  in  the 
city  of  Rameses,  etc.' ' 

The  city  mentioned  here  is  thought  to  be  the  same 
the  Greeks  called  Tanis,  and  in  numbers  13-23  called 
Zoan.  The  features  of  this  statue,  is  said,  resembles  the 
Semitic  type,  as  portrayed  on  numerous  monuments, 
lie  wears  a  royal  head-dress  and  crown  ;  a  shield  on  his 
breast,  in  the  center  of  which  is  inscribed  hispronomen, 
k<  Ra  user  ma  Setep  an  Ra,"  i.  e.,  god  of  the  sun,  mighty 
in  the  truth,  etc. 

He  wears  a  dagger  in  his  belt.  Egyptologists  say 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  statute,  the  face  of  which 
when  erected  was  turned  to  the  north,  is  one  of  those 
erected  by  Rameses  II  in  front  of  the  great  temple  of 
Ptah  at  Memphis.  Strabo  says  :  "A  colossal  statue  of 
single  stone  stands  in  the  entrance  court  before  the 
temple  of  Ptah." 

This  large,  and  beautiful  palm  grove  embraces  in  part 
only  the  site  of  the  old  city  of  Memphis.  Five  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  3Tears  before  the  present  era  it 
was  taken  by  storm  by  Cambyses,  the  first  monarch  of 
the  Persian  dynasty.  Two  centuries  later  it  was 
eclipsed  by  the  foundation  of  Alexandria.  In  conse- 
quence of  the  edict  of  Theodosius  about  379  A.  D., 
who  formally  declared  Christianity  to  be  the  religion  of 
the  Roman  empire,  the  temples,  pagan  deities  and 
statues  were  torn  down  and,  as  fur  as  could  be, 


196  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

destroyed.  But  still,  even  down  to  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury A.  1).,  a  visitor  to  the  old  city,  after  giving  a 
lively  account  of  numerous  attacks  sustained  by  the 
enormous  city,  assures  us  that  even  in  his  time  the 
ruins  contained  a  profusion  of  wonders  which  bewil- 
dered the  mind  and  baffled  description. 

"The  more  profoundly  we  contemplate  the  ruins," 
he  says,  "  the  greater  does  the  admiration  become  with 
which  they  inspire  us,  and  every  new  survey  we  take 
becomes  a  source  of  fresh  delight." 

Beyond  the  palm  grove  we  rise  to  the  plateau  of  the 
desert  and  enter  this  great  undulating  plain  of  sand, 
and  as  we  proceed  on  our  way  to  Mariette's  house,  at 
which  we  will  rest  and  eat  our  noonday  lunch,  we  pass 
the  step  pyramid,  one  of  the  group  of  Abusir. 

The  step  pyramid,  i.  <?.,  provided  with  steps,  forms  a 
conspicuous  feature  in  the  landscape  before  us.  Its 
style  of  structure  seems  to  be  peculiar  to  this  pyramid  ; 
for  if  there  is  another  like  it,  I  am  not  aware  of  it.  It 
is  built  perpendicular  to  its  base  thirty-seven  and 
three-fourths  feet  in  height.  Then  it  is  set  in  six  and 
a  half  feet,  then  the  next  step  is  built  up  in  the  same 
manner  thirty -six  feet  in  height ;  then  there  is  another 
set  in  of  six  and  a  half  feet;  the  third  perpendicular 
rise  is  thirty-four  and  a  half  feet  in  height,  and  so  on 
until  the  summit  is  reached.  It  has  six  perpendicular 
rises,  making  five  steps  from  six  to  six  and  a  half  feet 
wide. 

This  pyramid  does  not  stand,like  all  the  others,exactly 
facing  the  points  of  the  compass,and  it  is  not  square  'i.e., 
the  north  and  south  sides  are  three  hundred  and  fifty- 
four  feet,  while  the  east  and  west  sides  are  three  hundred 
and  ninety-eight  feet.  It  is  said  that  it  contains  num- 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  197 

erous  and  complicated  chambers  and  passages  in  the 
interior.  I  don't  understand  by  what  process  of  rea- 
soning some  people  conclude  that  the  pyramids  were 
built  for  astronomical  observations.  Some  of  the  pas- 
sages leading  to  the  chambers  are  straight,  others 
crooked.  In  some  of  them  the  mouth  of  the  passages 
are  on  a  level  or  even  below  the*  base  of  the  pyramid, 
in  others  it  is  high  upon  the  side  of  the  pyramid.  All 
the  passages  in  these  pyramids  were  securely  closed 
until  they  were  opened,  first  by  the  Persians,  B.  C.  525 
to  333  ;  afterwards  they  were  examined  by  the  Romans. 
"  It  can  never  be  known  what  has  been  removed  from 
the  interior  chambers.  The  disappointment  of  treasure 
hunters  may  have  caused  them  to  destroy  what  might 
have  settled  this  mooted  question,  and  had  they 
remained  securely  closed  until  opened  and  examined 
by  men  whose  sole  object  would  have  been  to  throw 
light  upon  this  question,"  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  all 
doubts  as  to  the  purposes  for  which  the  pyramids  were 
built  would  have  been  removed  ere  this. 

But  here  we  are  at  Mariette's  house.  I  know  this 
poor  little  donkey  is  tired  wading  through  this  deep 
sand.  The  little  Arab  boys  seem  to  be  as  bright  and 
fresh  as  when  we  set  out.  My  companion  says :  "  Doc- 
tor, your  donkey  is  crying/'  Well,  he  has  had  enough 
to  make  him  cry,  for  I  weigh  near  two  hundred 
pounds.  But  I  will  comfort  him  by  calling  him  "  a 
darling,"  "my  pet,"  or  "you  sweet  thing".  Now  we 
will  spread  our  lunch  and  call  from  "labor  to 
refreshment." 

Lunch  over,  we  will  walk  down  this  sandy  hollow 
which  leads  off  north.  It  will  take  us  to  one  of  the 
wonderful  and  strange  sights  to  be  found  here.  "We  are 


198  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

now  fairly  out  on  the  desert.  These  hillocks  or  mounds 
of  sand  mark  the  site  of  the  statues  of  the  Graeco- 
Egyptian  period.  They  were  placed  upon  the  walls 
which  stood  on  each  side  of  the  approach  or  pass-way 
from  the  Greek  to  the  Egyptian  Serapeum.  Among 
these  was  the  Cerberus,  or  "  monster  "  having  the  form 
of  a  lion  with  its  tail  terminating  in  a  snake's  head.  We 
enter  the  Egyptian  Serapeum,  or  mausoleum,  of  Apis, 
the  sacred  bull,  which  had  spent  his  life  in  the  temple 
at  Memphis. 

"  The  dead  Apis  or  Osiris  Apis  (Asaar  Hapi,  or 
Serapis),  is  termed  the  "  reviving  Ptah  and  symbolized 
the  perpetual  regenerating  power  of  the  god."  He 
was  also  associated  with  the  moon,  which  seems  to 
undergo  hourly  change  while  remaining  unaltered." 

The  Nile,  the  great  fertilizer  and  regenerator  of  the 
soil,  bore  the  name  Hapi,  and  as  the  Egyptians  thought 
that  the  annual  rise  in  this  river  was  associated  with 
the  light  of  the  moon,  Hapi,  the  genius  of  death  bearing 
the  head  of  the  dog,  was  also  a  symbol  of  the  moon. 
You  will  remember  when  describing  to  you  the  granite 
temple  situated  near  the  Gizeh  pyramid  that  I  told  you 
Mariette  found  dog-headed  apes  in  a  well  in  one  of  the 
chambers;  these  were  the  statues  of  this  god. 

I  have  thought  proper,  reader,  to  say  this  much 
about  the  Egyptian  ideas  of  their  royal  bulls,  to  show 
you  that  they  were  reverenced  and  worshiped  symbol- 
ically. They  represented  the  great  procreative  law  of 
nature  upon  which  the  perpetuation  of  all  life  depends. 
To  this  ancient  people  Apis,  or  the  Bull,  represented 
the  principle  which  revives  and  gives  new  life  to 
everything  dead.  Let  me  say  further  that  the  great 
festival  of  the  rise  of  the  Nile  was  also  called  "  the 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  199 

festival  of  the  Birth  of  Apis."  If  one  of  these  royal 
animals  lived  as  long  as  twenty-five  years  he  was  then 
drowned  in  the  Nile  and  buried  with  all  the  honor  due 
his  royal  rank. 

It  is  clearly  shown  that  these  old  Egyptians  studied 
the  laws  of  nature  closely.  They  realized  that  there 
was  a  germ  of  life  imprisoned  in  the  seed  which,  under 
certain  favorable  conditions,  put  forth  and  brought 
forth  fruit  in  its  season.  These  favorable  or  necessary 
conditions  were  fully  comprehended  by  them.  All  the 
laws  of  nature  governing  growth  and  development 
were  not  only  understood,  but  symbolized  by  their 
divinities,  just  as  the  Greeks  impersonated  and  symbol- 
ized every  passion  and  emotion  of  our  human  natures 
by  their  deities.  In  other  words,  the  Egyptians  deified 
nature  and  the  Greeks  humanity. 

But  here  we  are  at  the  Serapeum.  You  observe  we 
go  down  into  it,  the  sand  having  been  removed  from 
the  entrance. 

Mariette,  who  discovered  this  in  1850,  in  making 
some  extensive  excavations  in  this  part  of  theSakkara, 
says  he  found  a  number  of  sphinxes  and  was  led  to 
conjecture  that  they  belonged  to  the  Serapis  temple 
mentioned  by  Strabo.  The  passage  in  Strabo  runs 
thus  :  "  There  is  also  a  temple  of  Serapis  there,  in  a 
very  sandy  place,  so  that  mounds  of  sand  are  heaped 
up  by  the  winds,  by  which  the  sphinxes  are  either 
buried  up  to  their  heads  or  half  covered,  whence  one 
may  understand  the  danger  incurred  by  a  person  going 
to  the  temple  and  overtaken  by  a  gust  of  wind." 

In  many  places  sand  has  drifted  and  covered  these 
old  ruins  to  a  depth  of  sixty  feet  or  more.  In  the 
extensive  chambers  of  these  temples  (for  there  were 


200  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

more  than  one  included  in  the  area  called  Serapeum, 
which  were  built  in  the  usual  form  of  Egyptian  tem- 
ples), there  was  established  a  colony  of  hermits  who 
lived  in  the  strictest,  seclusion.  They  had  a  regular 
organized  monastic  system  in  connection  with  the  wor- 
ship of  Serapis,  a  deity  revered  above  all  others  at 
that  period. 

On  entering  the  order  they  gave  up  all  their  worldly 
possessions.  They  were  not  permitted  to  leave  their 
cells,  and  a  kind  of  airhole  formed  the  only  means  of 
communicating  with  the  outer  world.  Through  these 
small  airholes,  or  windows,  their  relatives  conveyed  to 
them  the  food  upon  which  they  subsisted.  They  called 
each  other  brethren  and  spoke  of  a  common  "  father." 

"  Buried  alive,  as  it  were,  in  these  dismal  recesses, 
they  hoped  by  self-denial  and  renunciation  of  all 
worldly  pleasures  to  purify  themselves  by  the  prolonged 
service  of  Serapis." 

Some  of  their  dreams  and  visions  in  which  they 
fought  battles  with  demons,  etc.,  play  an  important 
part  in  their  experience. 

These  facts  have  been  obtained  by  recently 
deciphered  papyri  which  were  brought  from  Memphis. 
These  papyri  further  state  that  similar  monastic  insti- 
tutions were  connected  with  other  temples  of  Serapis 
and  with  those  of  Isis. 

The  temples  of  Isis  and  Serapis  were  not  unfre- 
quently  associated.  There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that 
these  monks  in  the  service  of  Serapis  were  the  ante- 
cedents of  the  so-called  Christian  monks  and  ascetics  of 
a  latter  period. 

We  now  enter  a  long  tunnel  hewn  in  the  solid  rock 
which  underlies  the  sand  of  the  desert.  This  tunnel 


AND   THE   HOLT    LAND.  201 

or  corridor  is  about  twelve  feet  wide  and  eighteen  feet 
high  and  aggregate  in  length  three  hundred  and  eighty  -— 
yards.  On  each  side  of  this  corridor  ^e  a  series  of  *•» 
vaults  or  chambers,  which  -are  larger  than  the  tunnel. 
The  floors  of  these  chambers  being  some  six  or  eight 
feet  lower  than  the  floor  of  the  corridor,  no  two  of 
them  open  into  the  corridor  opposite  each  other.  You 
will  see  first  one  upon  the  right  and  the  next  one  upon 
the  left,  and  so  on.  There  are  sixty-four  of  these  Apis 
vaults  now  accessible,  and  the  Apis  Sarcophagi,  or  cof- 
fins, may  be  seen  in  twenty-four  of  them. 

These  sarcophagi,  or  monster  coffins,  average  thir- 
teen feet  in  length,  seven  feet  in  width,  and  eleven 
feet  in  height,  and  weigh  about  sixty-five  tons,  or  one 
hundred  and  thirty  thousand  pounds  each ;  the  thick- 
ness of  the  walls  being  some  ten  or  twelve  inches,  if  I 
remember  aright.  Five  of  the  lids  of  these  immense 
coffins  are  made  of  separate  pieces  of  stone  cemented 
together.  The  lids  are  about  twelve  inches  in  thick- 
ness ;  the  top  edge  being  beveled  off,  w^e  made  to  r~- 
extend  over  the  sides  and  ends  of  the  coffins  about  six 
inches.  Several  of  the  lids  have  been  pushed  aside  so 
that  the  interior  of  the  coffin  may  be  see. 

Twenty -four  of  these  coffins  are  made  of  granite,  but 
three  of  them  only  bear  inscriptions  which  record 
the  name  of  the  kings  by  whom  they  were  erected. 
One  of  them  bears  the  name  of  "  Amasis"  the  last  king 
of  the  twenty-sixth  dynasty,  whose  reign  extended 
from  564  to  526  B.  C.,  another,  the  name  of  Cam- 
byses,  and  one  the  name  of  Rhabbosh.  These  men 
were  kings  of  Egypt  during  the  Persian  domina- 
tion. One  of  these  coffins  and  the  one  which  appears 
to  me  to  be  the  handsomest,  was  of  highly  pol- 


202  TRAVELS  IN   EGYPT 

ished  black  granite,  a  magnificent  piece  of  work, 
and  colossal  in  size.  All  these  coffins  when  discov- 
ered by  Mariette  had  been  emptied  of  their  contents 
with  the  exception  of  two,  in  which  various  trinkets  or 
ornaments  were  found.  One  of  them  contained  the 
mummified  body  of  a  royal  animal.  One  of  these  cof- 
fins and  a  lid  were  left  sitting  in  the  corridor  from 
some  cause,  at  all  events  it  is  sitting  there  now. 

If  the  ceremonies  with  which  one  of  these  Apis  bulls 
was  buried  were  as  costly  as  their  coffins,  Diodorus 
probably  does  not  exaggerate  the  amount  expended 
upon  the  obsequies  of  these  animals  when  he  places  it 
at  $120,000  each. 

It  was  the  custom  of  pilgrims  to  the  shrine  of  the 
bull  last  interred  to  leave  small  stone  tablets.  "  These 
tablets  were  called  'Apis  Steles'  and  could  only  be 
received  within  seventy  days  after  the  sacred  animal's 
death.  Much  has  been  learned  as  to  the  ancient  Egyp- 
tian mode  of  reckoning  time  from  these  little  stones." 

The  tombs  of  the  Egyptians  are  of  two  kinds, 
namely,  the  Mastaba,  which  is  a  house  of  solid  masonry 
constructed  on  the  surface  of  the  earth.  Its  walls  usu- 
ally slope  inward.  They  are  generally  built  of  lime- 
stone rock  or  Nile  brick,  and  are  large  enough  to  inter 
a  family,  the  sarcophagi  or  stone  coffins  being  set 
upon  the  floor  of  the  room.  The  rooms  are  from  six- 
teen to  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  usually  oblong,  say 
fourteen  by  sixteen  feet,  or  sixteen  by  twenty,  and  so 
on,  the  side  walls  being  from  eight  to  twelve  feet  in 
height  and  covered  with  scenes  pertaining  to  private 
and  public  life.  On  the  door  posts  or  lintel  the  family 
name  is  inscribed.  The  interior  arrangements  vary; 
usually  at  the  back  of  the  principle  chamber 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  203 

is  placed  a  monument  with  numerous  inscriptions 
giving  the  titles  of  the  deceased,  the  names  of  his  near- 
est relatives,  prayers,  etc. 

In  some  of  the  mastabas  a  shaft  is  sunk,  into  which 
the  coffin  of  the  deceased  is  placed.  The  doors  to  these 
mastabas  are  placed  on  the  east  side  of  the  chamber, 
and  the  shafts,  or  large  square  wells  on  the  west,  for 
it  is  in  the  direction  of  the  setting  sun  that  the  soul 
will  cross  the  threshold  of  the  next  world.  Query  :  I 
wonder  if  the  almost  universal  custom  of  burying  our 
dead  with  their  heads  to  the  setting  sun  could  have 
come  down  the  stream  of  time  from  that  remote  period, 
and  we  unconsciously  be  following  this  ancient  custom? 

The  Egyptians  also  buried  their  dead  in  rock  tombs, 
hewn  down  in  the  stone  from  the  surface.  These  were 
usually  dug  in  rows  as  we  dig  graves.  Now,  reader, 
we  will  go  down  into  this  rock  house,  and  see  how  the 
nobility  of  this  old  land  of  Egypt  prepared  houses 
while  living,  in  which  to  have  their  bodies  placed  after 
death.  I  have  already  taken  you  through  the  mastaba 
or  tomb  of  Numbers.  Here  is  one  of  the  best  preserved 
monuments  of  its  kind  which  has  yet  been  excavated 
in  the  extensive  necropolis  of  this  old  city.  "  It  is  said 
to  lie  in  an  old  street  of  tombs  now  covered."  The 
sand  has  been  heaped  over  this  mastab'a  until  it  resem- 
bles a  subterranean  rock  structure  more  than  a  build- 
ing placed  on  the  surface  of  the  earth.  Now  we  will  crawl 
down  this  narrow,  low  pass-way,  to  the  door  through 
which  we  pass,  and  now  find  ourselves  in  a  small  cham- 
ber or  anterior  court,  which  contains  the  remains  of 
two  pillars.  The  sculpturing  on  the  walls  exhibit  a 
marvellous  skill.  Remember,  we  are  now  in  a  house 
and  looking  at  work  that  was  executed  at  least  four 


204  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

thousand  five  hundred  years  ago,  perhaps  longer.  Here 
on  the  east,  nicely  chiseled  on  the  face  of  the  rock  wall, 
are  represented  the  offerings  of  gifts ;  on  the  south  wall, 
to  the  left  of  the  entrance,  is  the  representation  of  a 
poultry  yard,  showing  how  they  fattened  geese,  *.  e.,  by 
stuffing  the  food  down  their  throats.  On  the  front 
wall  on  each  side  of  the  entrance  is  a  figure  of  Ti,  above 
which  are  hieroglyphics  recording  his  many  titles.  The 
figures  of  men  in  these  scenes  are  about  sixteen  or 
eighteen  inches  in  height. 

We  next  enter  the  large  room  or  great  court  which 
was  once  covered  with  a  roof  supported  by  twelve  col- 
umns. Some  of  the  pillars  are  still  standing,  but  the 
roof  is  gone,  and  it  is  now  an  open  court.  In  the  cen- 
ter of  this  court  a  shaft  is  sunk  in  an  oblique  direction. 
This  shaft  communicates  with  a  tomb  chamber  below, 
where  a  sarcophagus  without  inscriptions  was  found. 

On  the  north  wall  of  this  court  is  represented  offer- 
ings of  gifts  to  their  deities,  the  sacrifice  of  cattle  and 
the  conveyance  of  a  slave  boat.  This  scene  was  con- 
siderably defaced  by  exposure.  A  good  figure  here  was 
a  long-horned  ox,  a  species  of  cattle  which  have  disap- 
peared from  Egypt  now.  The  ox  was  standing  with 
one  of  his  forelegs  tied  up  to  his  body  and  a  man  had 
him  by  one  horn  with  one  hand,  and  a  hook  in  his 
nose  held  with  the  other  hand.  A  second  man  had 
bound  the  hind  legs  together,  and  the  two  were  throw- 
ing or  dragging  him  down.  Near  this  one  was  another 
victim  already  slain. 

The  inscription  above  this  scene  informs  us  that  the 
young  bull  sacrificed  would  yield  fifty  men  or  pots  of 
fat.  In  another  place  on  the  wall  is  represented  the  put- 
ting in  of  the  fattening  cakes  ( for  the  poultry  )  to  boil. 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  205 

Near  this  is  a  flock  of  large  cranes,  some  pigeons  and 
geese  being  fed  with  corn,  and  then  the  figure  of  Ti, 
the  proprietor.  Further  on  is  a  slab  of  stone  nine  feet 
long  and  eighteen  inches  in  width,  upon  which  is  a  rep- 
resentation of  four  barges  laden  with  corn  descending 
the  Nile ;  three  of  them  are  rowed,  the  fourth  is  in  tow. 
Above  these  are  figures  of  antelopes,  a  group  of  doves, 
cranes,  a  mountain  goat,  etc.  To  the  left,  in  a  corner, 
two  more  mountain  goats. 

Passing  through  the  court  we  enter  a  corridor,  on 
the  walls  of  which  are  several  scenes.  On  the  right, 
in  a  niche,  nine  feet  high  and  six  feet  wide,  is  placed 
a  steel  or  votive  tablet,  dedicated  to  the  wife  of  Ti. 
On  the  left,  near  the  pillar  of  the  doorway,  is  a  figure 
of  Ti,  with  his  titles  inscribed  on  the  wall.  Further 
on  is  a  representation  showing  a  statue  of  Ti  being 
transported  or  drawn  along  by  men  on  a  sled — one  of 
the  men  is  engaged  in  pouring  water  before  the  runners. 
The  hieroglyphics  inform  us  that  the  statue  is  a  statue 
of  Ti  made  of  ebony.  Over  the  door  are  musicians 
and  dancers  and  Ti  in  a  boat.  On  the  right-hand  side 
of  the  corridor,  seemingly  near  the  end,  is  a  door  lead- 
ing into  a  well-covered  chamber.  The  scenes  adorning 
the  walls  of  this  chamber  give  us  an  insight  into  the 
domestic  economy  of  the  deceased.  Among  them  we 
find  a  representation  of  a  complete  pottery  and  bake- 
house and  vessels  of  different  forms  destined  for 
various  uses.  In  this  chamber  is  a  representation  of 
several  barges,  some  light,  with  a  number  of  rowers 
aboard,  others  larger,  with  sails  and  steering  oar ;  in  the 
bow  of  the  vessel  stands  a  man  with  a  long  pole  used 
for  sounding.  The  writing  on  the  wall  tells  us  that 
the  boats  are  conveying  retainers  of  the  deceased  Ti  to 


206  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

• 

Sakkara,  to  pay  homage  to  his  remains.  It  reads  thus : 
"Arrival  from  the  North  Country  from  the  villages 
of  the  family  estate  in  order  that  they  may  behold  the 
chamberlain,  who  is  perfect  in  consequence  of  his  dis- 
tinction in  occupying  the  first  place  in  the  heart  of  his 
sovereign  and  master  of  the  mystery  of  the  kingdom  of 
the  dead  Ti." 

Leaving  this  we  enter  the  tomb  chamber  itself, 
which  is  twenty-two  by  twenty-three  feet  in  diameter 
and  twelve  and  a  half  feet  high.  This  chamber  is 
adorned  with  special  care.  The  ceiling  is  in  imitation 
of  palm  stems  and  rests  on  two  massive  square  pillars 
coated  with  stucco — these  are  colored  to  imitate  red 
granite.  These  columns  are  hollow  and  have  openings  to 
admit  light  from  above.  On  the  walls  are  represented 
a  series  of  harvest  scenes  representing  reaping,  stor- 
ing and  transporting  of  corn,  the  treading  it  out  by  oxen 
or  asses,  the  sifting  of  the  grain  from  the  chaff,  even  the 
filling  and  sacking  by  the  women.  The  laborers  in  the 
scene  seem  to  be  intent  on  their  occupation,  and  the 
whole  scene  is  full  of  life  and  spirit  and  intensely  real. 
The  artist,  in  some  instances,  makes  the  dumb  figures 
talk.  One  says  to  the  ears  of  corn  :  "Ye  are  seasona- 
ble," or,  "Ye  are  now  large."  At  another  place  the 
laborer  is  made  to  say :  "  This  is  reaping ;  when  a 
man  does  this  work  he  becomes  gentle,  and  so  am  I." 
The  driver  of  a  herd  of  donkeys  is  made  to  say  :  "  Peo- 
ple love  those  who  go  on  quickly,  but  strike  the  lazy ; 
if  thou  couldst  but  see  thy  own  conduct." 

Near  the  center  of  one  of  the  walls  is  a  well  repre- 
sented scene  of  shipbuilding,  from  the  hewing  of  the 
timbers  to  the  calking  of  the  vessel  resting  on  the 
stocks.  In  this  scene  is  represented  the  primitive  saws, 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  207 

axes,  hammers,  borers,  and  other  tools  used  by  the 
workmen.  One  of  the  scenes  in  this  chamber  is  four 
rows  of  workmen  of  different  trades,  comprising  car- 
penters, stone  masons,  sculptors,  glass  blowers,  chair 
makers,  leather  workers,  water  bearers,  etc.,  etc.  One 
of  these  pictures  represents  a  court  of  justice,  at  least 
I  take  it  to  be  that.  Here  are  judges  writing,  before 
whom  several  fellows  are  being  dragged.  They  must 
be  guilty  dogs,  or  they  wouldn't  be  so  reluctant  in 
going.  On  one  side  are  frescoed  thirty-six  female 
figures  bearing  on  their  heads  large  baskets  filled  with 
various  kinds  of  agricultural  products,  bottles,  jars  and 
loaves,  carrying  poultry  in  their  hands,  and  in  one  case 
a  woman  has  a  porcupine  in  a  cage.  Each  figure  is 
accompanied  by  the  name  of  the  place  which  it  repre- 
sents, places  of  the  family  estate,  and  these  are  the 
sacrificial  offerings  from  the  several  places. 

Another  scene  represents  the  husbandman  tramping 
in  the  seed  sown  in  the  mud  with  oxen  and  goats. 
Another,  Ti  hunting  hippopotami.  One  scene  is  a 
dwarf  leading  a  long-tailed  ape ;  another,  a  man  lead- 
ing two  greyhounds ;  one  in  which  cattle  are  being 
driven  out  of  the  inundation  of  the  Nile  ;  a  scene  in 
which  a  man  is  represented  plowing  with  the  same  old 
one-handled  forked-stick  plow  they  now  use  in  Egypt 
and  Palestine,  one  sowing  and  another  reaping. 

This  Ti  is  represented  as  the  companion,  adjutant 
or  chamberlain  of  the  king ;  as  a  "  master  of  secrets,'' 
secret  counsellor  of  the  king  in  all  his  royal  assem- 
blages, etc.;  a  man  in  authority. 

The  foregoing  may  prove  tedious  to  some  of  my 
readers,  but  as  the  walls  of  all  these  mastabas  are  filled 
to  a  greater  or  less  extent  with  these  scenes  or  pictures 


208  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

and  explanatory  hieroglyphic  writings,  one  may 
gather  from  these  object-lessons  very  correct  ideas  of 
the  manners,  customs,  and  mode  of  living  of  this 
ancient  people. 

From  these  pictures  we  learn  the  agricultural  pro- 
ducts of  the  country  at  that  remote  period,  also  their 
manner  of  tilling  the  soil,  and  how  they  harvested  and 
stored  away  the  products  of  their  farms.  They  show 
us  pictures  of  their  herds  of  cattle,  goats,  donkeys, 
gazelles,  and  antelopes.  They  show  us  their  poultry 
yards,  the  varieties  of  their  domesticated  fowls  and 
how  they  were  tended  and  cared  for.  They  show  us 
their  farm-houses,  orchards,  granaries,  and  in  short 
every  detail  of  private  life,  including  a  minute  relation 
of  their  possessions  at  the  time  of  the  death  of  the  pro- 
prietor. All  this  and  much  more  may  be  seen  and 
learned  by  visiting  these  houses  of  the  dead. 

The  wealthy  old  Egyptians  caused  these  tomb  cham- 
bers to  be  erected  for  themselves  and  families,  includ- 
ing the  decorations,  paintings,  etc.,  during  the  life  of 
the  owner.  In  the  mastabas  of  Sabu,  which  is  just  east 
of  Ti's,  is  a  record  of  the  number  and  character  of  his 
stock  at  the  time  of  his  decease,  as  follows :  Of  one  kind 
of  cattle  he  had  four  hundred  and  five  head;  of 
another,  twelve  hundred  and  thirty-seven ;  of  a  third, 
thirteen  hundred  ;  of  calves,  twelve  hundred  and  twenty 
of  one  kind,  and  eleven  hundred  and  thirty-eight  of 
another ;  jn  addition  to  these  he  had  thirteen  hundred 
antelopes,  and  eleven  hundred  and  thirty-five  gazelles ; 
twelve  hundred  and  forty-four  goats  of  a  species 
resembling  the  antelope,  and  ten  hundred  and  ten 
herons.  His  poultry,  geese,  duc*ks  and  pigeons  are 
recorded  by  thousands. 


\ 

AND   THE   HOLT    LA.ND.  209 

The  records  in  another  of  these  mastabas  give  some 
very  startling  figures  in  the  schedule  of  the  proprie- 
tor's possessions.  For  instance,  he  renders  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-one  thousand  geese  of  one  kind,  and 
eleven  thousand  two  hundred  and  ten  of  another ; 
twelve  hundred  and  twenty-five  swans,  one  hundred 
and  twenty  thousand  small  geese,  one  hundred  and 
eleven  thousand  two  hundred  goslings,  and  one  hundred 
and  twenty-one  thousand  and  twenty-two  pigeons. 

It  is  very  evident  that  this  list  of  possessions  was  not 
taken  from  the  tax  rolls,  and  it  is  very  unlike  the  sched- 
ules rendered  by  some  of  our  bankrupts  just  after  the 
late  civil  war. 

We  see  that  it  is  high  time  tJiat  we  were  leaving  this 
interesting  locality,  so  we  will  mount  our  donkeys  and 
ride  down  to  the  river,  cross  over  and  go  out  a  few 
miles  to  a  depot  where  we  can  take  a  train  that  runs 
down  the  river  to  the  city,  going  by  the  quarry  where 
the  stone  was  obtained  for  building  the  city  of  Cairo. 


TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 


CHAPTER  IX. 

~YTT~ELL,  here  we  are  at  the  ferry.  You  see  the  ferry 
V  V  boat  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  hull  of  an 
old.  river  barge.  It  stand  s  up  three  feet  above  the  surface 
of  the  water,  and  here  are  some  twenty-five  or  thirty 
other  people  to  be  crossed  over.  You  say  you  would 
like  to  know  how  the  Arabs  are  going  to  get  the  don- 
keys up  onto  the  boat  ?  It  is  true,  the  boat  stands  three 
feet  out  of  the  water,  and  some  eight  or  ten  feet  from 
land,  but  we  Americans  know  that  no  one  can  handle 
a  mule  as  a  negro  can,  and  I  suppose  it  is  the  same  way 
with  the  Arabs  and  the  donkeys.  The  Arab  and  the 
donkey  belong  to  the  same  family.  The  Arab  under- 
stands the  donkey,  and  the  donkey  understands  the 
Arab.  The  donkey,  however,  is  much  more  of  a  gentle- 
man than  the  Arab.  The  Arabs,  as  you  see,  are  dressed 
conveniently  for  this  business.  They  have  on  only  one 
garment,  a  long  shirt.  But  there  goes  one  donkey,  he 
jumped  aboard  after  they  got  him  down  into  the  water 
and  put  his  fore  feet  up  onto  the  boat.  The  next  one 
says  no.  But  the  Arabs  say  "  yes."  There  are  six  men 
and  boys  engaged  in  putting  them  aboard. 

They  lift  the  fore  feet  up  onto  the  boat  and  then  lift 
his  hind  part;  and  then  heave  him  aboard.  Now  and 
then  one  falls  back  and  goes  head  and  ears  under  the 
water.  The  very  fact  of  his  going  head  and  ears  out 
of  sight  is  conclusive  evidence  that  the  water  is  deep; 
for  you  know  that  nature  has  endowed  this  little  ani- 
mal with  a  hearing  appendage  of  unusual  length. 

210 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  211 

We  are  told,  however,  that  time,  patience  and  perse- 
verance accomplish  all  things,  and  it  holds  good  in  this 
instance,  as  the  Arabs  have  heaved  about  all  the  don- 
keys on  board.  So,  as  soon  as  we  see  those  ladies 
aboard,  we  will  try  our  hand  at  walking  that  narrow 
stage  plank  and  get  aboard  ourselves. 

Our  boat,  having  taken  on  its  heterogeneous  freight', 
shoved  off  from  shore.  But  we  had  not  gone  far  before 
we  run  upon  a  sandbar  and  grounded.  Our  Arab 
boatmen  leaped  out  into  the  river,  having  first  adjusted 
their  one  garment  so  that  it  would  not  get  wet,  wholly 
regardless  of  the  presence  of  the  ladies.  By  transfer- 
ring part  of  the  cargo  to  a  lighter  and  pushing  and 
prising  we  soon  got  afloat  again. 

The  laboring  class  of  Arabs,  or  fellahin,  have  no 
regard  whatever  for  the  presence  of  ladies.  Modesty 
seems  to  be  a  virtue  to  which  they  are  entire  strangers. 
This  feature  of  Arabian  character  is  strikingly  notic- 
able,  not  only  in  passing  through  the  rural  districts  of 
their  country,  but  it  is  perhaps  even  more  so  in  their 
cities  and  towns.  Nuisances  are  committed  in  open 
daylight  in  the  streets  and  alleys  of  their  cities  and 
towns  that. would  not  be  thought  of  in  other  countries, 
and  if  committed,  would  subject  the  perpetrator  to  fine 
and  imprisonment. 

This  custom  pertains  to  Italy  and  Greece  to  a  con- 
siderable extent,  but  not  to  the  daring  outrages  com- 
mitted by  the  people  of  the  Orient.  It  must  be 
remembered  that  the  Arabians  have  no  regard  for 
female  feelings  or  character.  They  are  taught  from 
infancy  to  regard  females  as  an  inferior  class  of  beings. 
Having  no  respect  for  their  own  mothers,  wives,  sisters, 
daughters,  or  female  friends,  it  is  hardly  to  be  expected 


212  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

that  they  would  show  any  consideration  for  foreigners 
or  "  infidel  women." 

We  will  now  take  a  carriage  and  drive  out  five  or  six 
miles  to  Heliopolis,  "  the  city  of  the  sun,"  which 
was  located  in  a  plain  near  the  village  of  Matarieth. 
"The  city  of  the  sun"  has  both  an  ancient  and  a 
modern  notoriety.  It  has  been  the  scene  of  two 
important  battles  in  modern  times.  The  result  of  a 
battle  fought  here  in  1517  made  Selim  and  the  Turks 
masters  of  Egypt,  and  on  the  20th  of  March,  1800, 
General  Kleber  with  ten  thousand  French  troops 
defeated  an  army  of  sixty  thousand  Orientals,  and 
regained  Cairo  for  the  French.  Their  occupation  of 
the  city,  however,  was  of  short  duration. 

Here  we  find  nothing  but  one  solitary  obelisk  and 
the  outer  wall  of  the  old  temple  area  to  mark  the  spot 
where  once  stood  one  of  the  most  famous  temples  of 
Egypt,  second  only  to  the  great  temple  of  Ptah,  which 
was  located  at  old  Memphis. 

The  religious  rites  associated  with  and  constituting 
the  worship  of  the  cycle  of  deities  connected  with  the 
sun  worship,  in  these  two  temples  was  perhaps  the 
most  magnificent  and  imposing  of  any  others  in  Egypt. 
The  Mftevis  Bull,  being  sacred  to  Ka,  was  worshiped 
at  Heliopolis,  while  the  Apis  Bull  was  revered  in  the 
temple  of  Memphis.  The  Mnevis  Bull  was  a  light  col- 
ored animal  from  Upper  Egypt ;  it  could  be  sought  for 
and  selected  by  the  priests  of  the  temple  only.  Light- 
colored  lions,  a  white  sow,  the  hawk,  the  cat  and  the 
phoenix  were  all  revered  and  regarded  sacred  to  JRa,  and 
were  in  some  way  associated  with  the  worship  of  this 
celebrated  temple. 

The  phoenix,  or  "  bird  of  the  palms,"  was  called  by 


HELIOPOLIS  (CITY  OF  THE  SUN). 


AND    THE    HOLT    LAND.  213 

the  Egyptians  "  Yennu."  "According  to  the  well- 
known  myth,  this  Arabian  bird  of  large  form  and 
beautiful  plumage  would  build  its  nest  among  the 
spices,  gathering  twigs  among  aromatic  shrubs  and 
perfumed  flowers,  and  then,  as  it  was  watched  by  the 
by-standers,  mysterious  flames  would  start,  kindling 
and  lighting  up  the  skies  with  the  burning  of  itself  and 
its  own  habitation,  consuming  it  utterly  in  its  ashes. 
Soon,  however,  out  of  the  same  heap  of  cinders  and 
ashes  would  arise  a  new  phoenix,  spreading  its  red  and 
golden  wings  as  it  flew  slowly  away  across  the  desert 
to  the  unknown  land  whence  the  parent  bird  had 
come."  This  magic  self-destruction  and  reproduction 
was  said  to  occur  once  in  every  fivre  hundred  years. 
This  is  the  tale  that  in  those  remote  ages  the  priests  at 
Heliopolis  used  to  tell  their  devotees  as  one  of  the  won- 
ders of  their  temple.  I  have  no  doubt  thac  this  legend 
was  used  by  the  ancient  Egyptians  to  teach  and  illus- 
trate, or  symbolize,  if  you  prefer,  their  doctrine  of 
immortality.  From  the  ashes  of  its  nest  sprang  into 
renewed  life  an  immortal  bird,  a  fairer,  more  beautiful, 
more  glorious  bird  than  the  old  one.  The  bird,  a  type 
of  man  ;  the  burning  nest,  the  grave ;  the  new  bird,  the 
resurrected  dead  or  immortal  soul. 

The  hieroglyphic  writings  on  obelisks  were  usually 
chiseled  into  the  face  of  the  four  sides  an  inch  or  more 
in  depth  and  filled  in  with  metal  and  then  polished  to 
brightness  so  that  they  reflected  the  rays  of  the  rising 
and  setting  sun. 

When  Heliopolis  was  at  the  zenith  of  its  glory  it  was 
a  grove  of  obelisks,  but  how  scattered  now  !  One  in 
London,  one  or  two  in  Rome,  one  in  Constantinople, 
one  in  New  York,  and  one  only  left  in  the  land  of 


214  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

Goshen,  where  the  children  of  Israel  had  their  home 
during  the  harsh  bondage  of  Pharaoh.  "It  stands 
solitary  and  alone,  the  oldest,  of  all  now  known,  the 
venerable  '  Father  of  Obelisks,'  lifted  on  its  pedestal 
before  Abram.  was  born." 

The  inscriptions,  which  are  the  same  on  each  of  its 
four  sides,  records  that,  "  Usertesen  I,  King  of  Upper 
and  Lower  Egypt,  Lord  of  the  Diadem  and  son  of  the 
sun,  whom  the  (divine)  spirits  of  On  (Heliopolis)  love, 
etc.,  founded  the  obelisk  on  the  first  day  of  the  festival 
of  Set,  celebrated  at  the  close  of  a  period  of  thirty 
years."  Usertesen  reigned  during  the  twelfth  dynasty, 
or  about  2500  or  2800  B.  C. 

The  scriptures  tell  us  that  something  over  three 
thousand  five  hundred  years  ago  there  lived  a  man 
named  Terah,  a  Shemite,  atUr,  in  the  northeastern  part 
of  Mesopotamia.  This  old  man  had  a  son  named 
Abram,  to  whom  the  Lord  said,  "  Get  thee  out  of  thy 
country  and  from  thy  kindred  and  from  thy  father's 
house  unto  a  land  that  I  will  shew  thee." 

In  obedience  to  this  command  Abram  left  his  home 
and  kindred  and  came  down  into  the  land  of  Canaan, 
erecting  the  first  altar  ever  built  to  the  Lord  God  in 
the  holy  land  at  Shechem.  But  Abram  passed  on 
through  the  land  of  Canaan  and  came  to  the  land  of 
Egypt,  and  when  he  reached  a  place  near  where  we 
are  now  standing,  stopped  and  took  a  long,  bewilder- 
ing, amazed  look  at  this  then  old  obelisk. 

Yes,  that  obelisk  has  been  standing  just  as  we  see  it 
now  since  more  than  a  thousand  years  before  Joseph 
was  sold  (for  twenty  pieces  of  silver)  by  his  brethren 
to  the  Midianite  merchants,  and  by  them  carried  to 
Egypt.  He  no  doubt  often  stood  and  looked  at  this 


AND   THE    HOLY   LAND.  215 

majestic  granite  shaft,  just  as  we  are  now  doing.  I 
have  no  doubt  but  old  Jacob  and  his  brethren  all 
stopped  and  looked  and  admired,  while  they  wondered 
what  it  meant,  as  they  passed  it  by  when  they  arrived 
in  the  land  of  plenty.  And  when  Moses  and  Aaron 
were  sent  to  Egypt  as  instruments  in  God's  hand  to 
call  down  the  curses,  one  after  another,  upon  the  land 
and  upon  the  head  of  their  ruler,  tyrant,  and  oppressor, 
Pharoah  (Meneptah),  I  say  they,  too,  stood  from  day 
to  day  near  this  old  monument  and  admired  its  beauty 
and  conversed  one  with  the  other  as  we  are  now  doing. 

Moses  could  have  told  Aaron,  his  brother  (and  who 
knows  he  did  not)  that  this  grand  old  glittering  shaft 
was  standing  as  we  now  see  it  a  thousand  years  before 
his  mother  hid  him  in  the  flags  of  the  Nile.  And  he 
may  have  said  to  his  brother,  "Did  you  ever  think  or 
try  to  imagine  the  feelings  of  our  mother,  what  they 
must  have  been  when  she  could  no  longer  hide  her  little 
cooing  boy  in  our  humble  house,  and  took  an  ark  of 
bull-rushes  and  with  trembling  hands,  streaming  eyes, 
and  a  heart  throbbing  and  bleeding  at  every  pore, 
"daubed  it  with  slime  and  with  pitch"  and  put  me 
therein  and  then  laid  it  in  the  flags  at  the  water's  edge  ? 

"  They  told  me  when  I  was  found  by  Thurmuthis,  and 
when  she  had  her  maid  to  bring  the  little  boat  in  which 
I  lay  to  her,  that  'I  cried  and  she  had  compassion  on 
me.' 

Aaron  may  have  answered  and  said:  "Moses  did  it 
occur  to  you  that  there  must  have  been  a  peculiar 
pathos  in  that  cry  to  awaken  as  it  did  such  compassion- 
ate, tender  emotions  in  the  heart  of  your  foster  mother  ? 
Is  there  in  all  the  universe  any  other  instrumentality 
that  would  have  touched  and  awakened  these  most 


216  TEAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

sacred  and  endearing  emotions  of  woman's  heart  as  the 
piteous  wail  of  the  helpless  infant  child?  It  occurs  to 
me  that  God  used  this  as  one  of  the  means  of  preserving 
your  life,  just  as  he  put  into  the  mind  of  our  mother 
and  directed  her  fingers  of  love  in  weaving  the  little 
ark  and  placing  it  in  that  part  of  the  river  where  Pha- 
raoh's daughter  was  accustomed  to  retire  and  bathe. 
Was  it  a  mere  accident  that  caused  you  to  lead  the 
flock  of  your  father-in-law,Jethro  (the  priest  of  Midian), 
to  the  back  side  of  the  desert  and  come  to  the  moun- 
tain of  God,  even  to  Horeb?  Was  it  a  mere  accident 
or  idle  curiosity  that  caused  you  to  say  :  "  I  will  now 
turn  aside  and  see  this  great  sight,  why  the  bush  is  not 
burnt?" 

"  It  presents  itself  to  my  mind  "  Aaron  may  have 
continued,  "  that  I  can  see  the  finger  of  God  in  all 
this.  Your  whole  past  life  demonstrates  to  me  that 
our  God  was  training  and  fitting  you  for  a  special 
work,  the  great  mission  upon  which  you  have  just 
entered." 

It  is  not  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  these  brothers 
had  some  such  conversations  as  this,  as  they  stood  near 
where  we  are  now  standing  and  gazed  on  that  old 
obelisk. 

Header,  when  I  stood  in  the  land  of  Goshen  and 
looked  at  that  ancient  monument,  I  realized  that 
Joseph,  the  rejected  of  his  brethren,  had  looked  upon 
that  granite  shaft  just  as  I  was  then  doing.  He  may 
have  stood  just  where  I  stood.  I  knew  that  his  father, 
old  Jacob  and  his  twelve  sons  (the  twelve),  fathers  of 
the  tribes  of  Israel,  looked  upon  that  shaft,  and  Moses, 
the  great  law-giver  of  Israel,  and  Aaron,  the  high 
priest  of  the  hosts  of  Israel,  all  had  walked  around 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  217 

this  obelisk,  admired  its  beauty,  its  symmetrical  propor- 
tions and  the  skill  and  beauty  of  its  architecture,  just 
as  I  was  then  doing. 

God  alone  has  recorded  their  thoughts  and  their 
words  of  brotherly  love,  the  praise  and  thanksgiving 
which  ascended  to  him  from  the  hearts  of  these  God- 
loving  men.  The  theme  of  their  secret  communings 
may  have  been  the  wondrous  display  of  God's  convinc- 
ing power  which  was  being  wrought  from  day  to  day 
upon  the  cruel  Egyptians  through  their  instrumen- 
tality. No  doubt  they  began  to  see  and  realize  in  all 
its  magnitude  the  mission  upon  which  they  had  been 
called,  the  responsibility  of  which  was  even  then  press- 
ing heavily  upon  them. 

That  was  a  wonderful  display  of  the  power  of  God 
as  manifested  in  the  ten  plagues  sent  upon  the  Egyp- 
tians in  that  contest  of  Gods.  It  was  not  a  human 
contest  between  Moses  and  Aaron  on  the  one  hand  and 
Meneptah  (the  Pharaoh)and  his  sorcerers  on  the  other. 
"We  read  in  the  Scriptures  where  it  says,  "  The  Lord 
your  God  is  God  of  gods."  and  at  Mount  Carmel. 
where  a  similar  test  of  superhuman  powers  occurred, 
when  in  answer  to  Elijah's  prayer  fire  came  down  and 
consumed  the  sacrifice,  etc.  The  people  cried  out, 
"  The  Lord  God  of  gods,  the  Lord  God  of  gods,  he 
knoweth." 

The  contest  in  --gypt  was  most  assuredly  oetween 
the  one  true  God  of  the  Hebrews  represented  by 
Moses' and  Aaron,  and  the  gods  of  Egypt  represented 
by  Pharaoh,  who  finally  confessed  his  defeat  and  said  to 
Moses,  "  Go  then,  serve  Jehovah  and  bless  me  also." 
We  further  read  that  the  Lord  had  said,  "Against all 


218  TRAVELS  IN  EGYPT 

the  gods  of  Egypt  will  I  execute  judgment,"  and  it 
has  been  done. 

These  obelisks  were  offerings  on  the  part  of  these 
ancient  people  to  their  gods,  just  as  modern  Christians 
build  churches  in  which  to  worship.  They  build  them 
and  dedicate  them  to  God  in  the  name  of  his  son,  and 
for  obelisk  erect  a  spire  pointing  to  heaven. 

Four  of  the  largest  obelisks  are  known  to  be  the 
work  of  Thotmes  III  who,  with  Barneses  II,  rank  as 
two  of  the  most  noted  of  all  the  kings  of  Egypt.  The 
mummy  of  Thotmes  vanished  into  dust  when  un- 
wrapped, but  his  obelisks  will  perpetuate  his  memory 
to  the  latest  period  of  time. 

Near  the  village  of  Matarieth  is  the  tree  and  well, 
or  spring  of  the  Yirgin.  The  Virgin's  tree  is  an  old 
sycamore  which  stands  to  the  right  of  the  main  road. 
Many  of  the  roots  which  support  the  decayed  and 
riven  trunk  of  this  old  tree  run  along  on  the  surface  of 
the  ground.  The  branches  are  wide  extended  and  are 
still  tolerably  flourishing.  The  well,  as  it  is  called  (I 
regard  it  a  free  bold  spring  of  clear,  cool,  sweet  water), 
is  near  the  old  tree.  Of  course,  the  tree  now  standing 
has  sprung  up  from  the  roots  of  the  old  tree  which 
formed  a  sheltering  of  the  infant  Jesus  and  his 
mother.  How  many  have  thus  sprung  up,  flourished 
and  passed  away  since  that  memorable  period  will 
never  be  known. 

Tradition  has  it  that  it  was  under  this  tree  Joseph  and 
Mary  pitched  their  tent,  when  Joseph  was  warned 
in  a  dream  to  take  the  child  Jesus,  and  his  mother,  and 
flee  into  Egypt,  and  remain  until  the  Lord  should  tell 
him  to  return,  for  u  Herod  sought  the  child  to  destroy 
him." 


AND  THE   HOLY    LAND.  219 

This  spring  is  in  the  border  land  of  Goshen,  and  on 
the  road  traveled  in  coming  from  Palestine  to  Egypt 
at  that  time,apd  more,  it  is  good  water.  This  I  know, 
for  I  drank  of  it,  while  nearly  all  the  other  springs  and 
wells  which  percolate  through  the  ground  from  the 
river  Nile  contain  brackish  water  unfit  for  drinking 
purposes.  These  are  the  reasons  given,  and  the  reasons 
for  believing  that  this  was  the  locality  selected  by 
Joseph  on  which  to  pitch  his  tent  during  his  stay  in 
Egypt. 

It  is  said  that  the  celebrated  balsam  shrub,  the  balm 
of  which  the  Queen  of  Sheba  presented  to  Solomon, 
once  grew  very  luxuriantly  in  this  immediate  section. 

In  1820-30,  the  first  experiments  with  the  cotton  plant 
in  Egypt  were  made  in  this  immediate  neighborhood. 
This  old  tree  and  the  fountain  are  near  Heliopolis. 

Now,  reader,  I  would  omit  any  attempt  at  describing 
what  I  saw  in  the  museum  of  Egyptian  antiquities,  but 
I  have  a  full  list  of  all  the  most  interesting,  some  of 
which  I  am  sure  you  would  regret  were  I  not  to 
describe  tb^iiirto  you  the  best  I  can.  On  entering  the 
enclosure  on  the  right  of  the  gate-way,  we  see  a  very 
large  statue  of  King  Usertesen  I,  king  of  Egypt,  about 
2,500  or  more  years  B.  0.,  who,  as  I  told  you,  erected 
the  obelisk  at  Heliopolis.  He  also  erected  one  near 
Medineth,  further  up  the  Nile.  This  statue  is  what  we 
would,  at  this  day  and  time,  call  a  rough  piece  of 
sculpture,  but  we  must  remember  it  was  executed  nearly 
three  thousand  years  before  the  Christian  era,  and  at  a 
time  when  sculptors  were  esteemed  in  proportion  as 
they  were  true  to  nature.  Usertesen,  although  a  king, 
may  have  been  a  rough  subject. 

It  is  of  beautiful  material,  the  rose-colored  granite. 


220  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

Further  on,  placed  against  the  wall  of  the  museum,  are 
four  dark  gray  granite  figures  in  a  sitting  posture  of 
the  lion-headed  goddess  Sekhet  (Bast).  •  This  goddess 
had  a  lion's  or  cat's  head.  "  She  is  called  the  daughter 
of  Ra  and  the  bride  of  Ptah,  and  personates  sexual 
passion."  These  were  brought  from  the  temple  of  the 
goddess  Muth  at  Karnak.  In  the  19th  chapter  of  II. 
Kings  we  read  of  a  king  of  Ethiopia  named  Tirhakah. 
Here  you  see  his  portrayed  head  in  dark  granite.  He 
has  a  somewhat  negro  cast  of  features,  as  you  see.  In 
one  of  the  departments  there  are  twelve  cabinets  or 
glass  cases  containing  statuettes  of  the  Egyptian  deities 
in  bronze,  stone  and  porcelain,  also  objects  connected 
with  the  burial  ceremonies  of  the  Egyptians  ;  a  statue 
of  Princess  Nefert,  daughter  of  Usertesen,  the  scribe 
Anawa,  major  domo  of  Memphis,  worshiping  Turn 
and  Harmathis;  Harmathis,  god  of  the  rising,  and 
Turn,  god  of  the  setting  sun. 

In  this  apartment  we  find  statues  of  Osiris,  and  the 
Apis  bull,  with  the  sacred  triangle  in  his  forehead ; 
Serapis,  human  body  with  the  head  of  a  bull ;  Hawk, 
with  the  crown  of  Upper  and  Lower  Egypt ;  Ptah,  in 
green  porcelain  (this  deity  is  represented  in  the  shape  of 
a  distorted  child  standingupon  two  crocodiles  and  strang. 
ling  two  snakes) ;  bronze  cats,  numbers  of  them.  One 
of  the  cabinets  contains  the  jewels  of  Queen  Aah-hotep 
about  1700  B.  C. ;  among  these  I  noticed  bracelets  for 
the  upper  arm  adorned  with  turquoises,  in  front  is  a 
vulture  of  Lapis  Lazuli,  cornelian,  and  brilliant  gems  in 
a  gold  setting ;  a  dagger,  the  handle  of  gold,  each  side 
at  the  upper  end  of  the  handle  terminating  in  a  female 
head,  and  the  blade  enameled  with  the  same  metal ;  an 
ax,  with  handle  of  cedar  wood,  incased  in  gold  and 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  221 

inlaid  with  precious  stones ;  pliable  chain  of  gold 
thirty-six  inches  in  length,  to  which  is  attached  a  scar- 
abeus — sacred  beetle  (you  can  buy  stone  representa-- 
tions  of  these  beetles  by  the  hundreds  from  the  Arabs 
in  Egypt);  a  case  which  contained  a  large  collection 
of  ancient  jewels  and  ornaments;  among  these  is  a 
necklace  of  gold,  the  links  of  which  are  in  the  form  of 
coils  of  rope,  comprising  cruciform  flowers,  antelopes 
chased  by  lions,  jackalls,  vultures  and  winged  serpents; 
the  clasps  represented  the  heads  of  hawks ;  a  breast- 
plate of  gold  inlaid  with  precious  stones;  bracelets 
and  anklets  of  massive  gold,  etc.,  etc.;  gold  ornaments 
and  precious  stones  to  the  value  of  hundreds  and  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  dollars. 

Here  is  the  statue  of  King  Cepnron,  builder  of 
the  second  large  pyramid,  which  was  found  in  the  well 
of  the  granite  temple,  as  mentioned  when  describing 
that  temple.  He  is  represented  as  life-size,  sitting  on 
the  throne.  The  arms  of  the  throne  terminate  in 
lions'  heads.  The  muscles  of  the  breast  and  legs  are 
reproduced  with  wonderful  accuracy.  Here  you  see, 
railed  in,  a  wooden  statue.  It  was  found  in  Sakkara, 
where  we  were  when  we  were  at  Mariette's  house,  and 
is  known  as  the  village  chief,  a  name  given  it  by  the 
Arabs.  This  figure  dates  back  some  four  thousand 
years  B.  C.,  and  shows  that  those  old  sculptors  were 
quite  capable  of  executing  really  artistic  work.  The 
individuality  and  realism  of  this  figure,  with  its  happy 
jocular  face,  offered  a  pleasant  surprise  among  these  old, 
cold,  stiff,  formal  statues  and  mummies. 

Here  is  a  large  room  full  of  the  mummies  of  the  ancient 
kings,  queens,  and  princes  of  Egypt.  Among  them  old 


222  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

Seti,  Rameses  II,  his  son  (the  great  Sesostris  of  his- 
tory), Queen  Ramaka,  and  many  others. 

A  statue  of  Meneptah,  the  Pharaoh  of  the  Exodus, 
has  recently  been  found  at  Bubastis.  On  our  way 
from  Cairo  to  Ismailiya,  on  the  Suez  canal,  we  will  see 
where  the  old  temple  of  Bubastes  stood.  Here  is  old 
Seti,  the  father  of  Thurmuthis,  who  raised  Moses. 
You  see  he  is  a  grand  old  hypocrite,  even  in  death. 
He  looks  like  an  old  deacon,  and  yet  he  was  the  Pha- 
raoh who  sent  forth  the  commandment  to  put  to  death 
all  the  male  children  of  the  Hebrews  simply  because 
they  were  born.  The  Hebrew  people  were  getting  to 
be  too  numerous  for  his  comfort.  Seti  I  was  also  the 
father  of  Rameses  II,  the  illustrious  Sesostris. 

Rameses  II  was  crowned  king  of  Egypt  by  his  fatner 
when  some  ten  or  twelve  years  of  age,  and  it  was  this 
father  and  son  that  oppressed  the  children  of  Israel 
until  their  cries  reached  the  compassionate  God  in 
heaven.  This  old,  tyrannical  hypocrite  pleads  his  cause 
before  Osiris  and  his  forty  two  associate  judges  in 
Amenthes,  and  says:  "  His  life  was  sinless,  his  nature 
just,  his  devotions  unswerving,  etc." 

Rameses  II  and  Moses  may  have  gone,  and  very  prob- 
ably did  go,  to  school  together  at  the  university  which  was 
at  Heliopolis  at  that  period.  For  there  was  a  university 
there  at  that  time  with  all  the  appliances  for  study  and 
research.  In  its  precincts  Herodotus  composed  a  por- 
tion of  his  history.  Here  Plato  and  Eudoxus  studied; 
the  one  philosophy  and  the  other  astronomy.  Moses 
is  said  to  have  been  "learned  in  all  the  wisdom  of  the 
Egyptians." 

flow  much  of  the  doctrine  and  ritual  of  Egypt  were 
engrafted  by  Moses  into  Judaism  is  hard  to  tell.  "That 


SETI  I. 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  223 

some  of  the  rituals  to  which  the  Jews  had  been  accus- 
tomed in  Egypt  should  have  been  incorporated  in  the 
Mosaic  law  is  quite  in  accordance  with  human  nature." 
But  I  leave  this  question  for  others  to  determine.  The 
name  of  Pharaoh,  as  applied  to  the  kings  of  Egypt  after 
a  certain  period  in  the  history  of  that  country,  was  used 
as  we  use  the  name  "  president, "  as  applied  to  the 
chief  magistrate  of  the  United  States. 

Of  Rameses  I,  the  presumption  is  that  he  was  an 
ordinary  ruler.  Monuments  of  him  are  scarce,  and  he 
seems  to  have  had  but  little  historic  notoriety. 

In  some  of  the  old  tombs  there  were  found  masks  and 
breast-plates  of  beaten  gold,  with  which  the  face  and 
breast  of  the  dead  were  covered.  Others  were  buried 
like  our  American  Indians,  with  their  war  implements; 
such  as  clubs,  bows,  arrows,  javelins,  etc.  Among  the 
mummies  and  mummy  coffins  is  a  false  mummy  of  a 
child  fabricated  at  a  very  remote  period  by  thieves  to 
take  the  place  of  the  child  which  had  been  mummined 
and  doubtless  buried  with  valuable  jewels  and  valuable 
ornaments.  The  mummy  case  bears  the  name  of 
Princess  Setamu,  daughter  of  Amasis  I,  about  1500  or 
1600  B.  C. 

In  one  cabinet  one  sees  a  sample  of  their  weapons, 
darts,  knives,  arrow  heads ;  also  axes,  chisels,  pincers, 
two  boards  for  games,  etc.  In  another  are  hares,  croco- 
diles, hedgehogs,  cows,  and  other  animals  in  enameled 
clay,  carnelian,  and  agate.  The  contents  of  one  entire 
room  in  the  museum  were  found  at  Thebes,  after  a 
long  and  diligent  search.  It  comprises  many  valuable 
and  curious  statuettes,  rolls  of  papyrus,  coffins,  mum- 
mies, many  double  coffins  in  which  a  father  and  son, 
or  a  mother  and  daughter,  were  buried.  Some  of  the 


224  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

mummies  were  wrapped  with  layer  after  layer  of  linen 
cloth,  which  were  tightly  pressed  and  glued  together, 
and  then  covered  with  a  thin  coating  of  stucco.  The  solid 
mass  was  as  hard  as  wood,  and  far  more  durable.  They 
were  then  painted  and  covered  with  inscriptions.  Each 
mummy  thus  prepared  was  adorned  with  paintings,  a 
crown,  and  a  double  feather,  the  double  feather  denot- 
ing Upper  and  Lower  Egypt. 

The  first  suspicion  of  the  existence  of  this  collection 
of  royal  tombs  at  Thebes  was  excited  by  the  Arabs 
offering  for  sale  statuettes  of  Osiris,  rolls  of  papyrus, 
etc.  But  the  Arabs  of  the  neighborhood  carefulty  con- 
cealed the  knowledge  of  their  hiding  place,  and  long 
baffled  the  curiosity  of  travelers,  until  finally,  in  1881, 
the  hiding  place,  which  proved  to  be  a  large  and  deep 
mummy  shaft,  was  discovered,  "  yielding  treasure  far 
beyond  the  most  sanguine  expectations." 

Eeader,  I  fear  I  have  already  kept  you  too  long 
among  these  old  relics  of  former  ages.  We  could  spend 
days  and  weeks  in  this  museum  of  antiquities,  and 
never  tire  of  looking  and  learning  about  these  strange 
old  people. 

Here  we  see  mummies,  mummy  cases,  coffins,  stat- 
ues and  statuettes ;  deities  of  stone,  clay,  porcelain,  agate, 
and  other  material,  implements  and  ornaments,  and 
all  manner  of  odds  and  ends  representing  every  dynasty 
and  every  century  from  the  days  of  Menes  on  down 
through  the  centuries  to  the  Christian  era. 

To  be  surrounded  by,  and  to  look  upon,  such  things 
involuntarily  and  unconsciously  carries  one  so  far  back 
in  the  ages  that  they  feel  for  the  time  being  as  though 
they  were  living  at  a  different  period  of  the  world's  his- 
tory from  what  they  really  at*e. 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  225 

The  names  of  these  kings  or  Pharaohs  of  Egypt  had 
been  long  known  historically,  but  skepticism  said,  where 
is  the  proof  that  such  a  man  as  Seti  I  (whose  daughter 
you  claim  raised  Moses)  ever  lived?  Where  is  the 
testimony  that  Rameses  II,  the  great  Sesostris,  who 
oppressed  and  set  task  masters  over  the  children  of 
Israel,  as  claimed  by  the  Bible,  where  is  he  ?  Where  is 
the  Pharaoh  of  the  Exodus?  Where  the  treasure 
cities,  E-amses  and  Pithon,  that  the  Bible  says  were 
built  by  the  Israelites  ?  Look  in  that  glass  case,  there 
lies  not  the  statue  of  Seti  I,  but  the  veritable  man 
himself;  his  name  and  royal  titles  preserved  in  a 
shroud  or  mummy  wrappings  to  be  read  of  all  men. 
Look  at  that  parched,  dried-up,  shrunken  face  of 
royalty.  That  is  the  veritable  man  himself  that  had 
thousands  of  innocent  children  killed  to  prevent  their 
becoming  men  who  might  in  after  years  rise  in  their 
might  and  manhood  and  throw  off  the  yoke  of  oppres- 
sion and  slavery. 

See  this  case.  There  lies  one  of  Egypt's  greatest 
warrior  kings ;  one  who  has  left  statues,  monuments, 
and  imperishable  records  of  himself  all  over  his  vast 
monarchy.  That  poor,  miserable  looking  wretch  says 
to  the  skeptic,  "  Here  I  am,  a  reality,  look  at  me  !  I  am 
the  great  Rameses  II,  the  illustrious  Sesostris,  some- 
what dilapidated  just  now,  for  thieves  found  me  in  the 
tombs  of  my  fathers  and  robbed  me,  and  my  friends  had 
to  move  me  to  Bahari.  But  here  I  am  !"  "  Marvellous 
things  did  he  in  the  sight  of  their  fathers  in  the  land 
of  Egypt,  in  the  field  of  Zoan."  The  prophecy  says 
further,  "  And  her  cities  shall  be  wasted  in  the  midst 
of  the  cities  that  are  wasted." 

Go  to  Tanis  and  read  the  testimony  of  its  identity  with 


226  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

Zoan,  when  in  its  glory  it  was  the  capital  of  the 
northern  part  of  the  empire.  Go  and  look  at  the  old 
treasure  cities,  Pithon  and  Ramses,  lately  excavated, 
and  see  not  only  the  verification  of  the  scriptures,  but 
see  at  the  same  time  the  fulfillment  of  prophecy.  See 
how  wasted ! 

Where  is  Meneptah  (Mene-Ptah,  lover  of  Ptah),  the 
Pharaoh  of  the  Exodus  ?  Ask  Moses ;  ask  Miriam, 
Moses'  sister,  who  says:  "  Sing  ye  to  the  Lord,  for  He 
hath  triumphed  gloriously.  The  horse  and  his  rider 
hath  he  thrown  into  the  sea.  Pharaoh's  chariots  and 
his  hosts  hath  he  cast  into  the  sea.  His  chosen  cap- 
tains also  are  devoured  in  the  sea." 

The  mummy  of  this  false,  hypocritical,  weak,  vacil- 
lating monarch  has  never  been  found,  but  wherever  his 
pictures  are  engraved  they  represent  him  surrounded  by 
gangs  of  laborers  bearing  intolerable  burdens,  task- 
masters applying  the  lash  to  the  bared  backs  of  the 
dejected,  down-trodden  Hebrews.  Even  the  monarch's 
own  sculptures  on  imperishable  stone  have  perpetuated 
his  inhuman  despotism  and  cruel  tyranny,  just  as  the 
memory  of  some  cruel  slave-owners  ought  to  have  been 
handed  down  to  future  generations  in  detestation  for 
their  cruelty  and  oppressive  treatment  of  their  helpless 
slaves,  before  the  late  Confederate  war. 

For  there  is  no  denying  the  fact  that  now  and  then 
there  was  a  slave-owner  who  treated  his  slaves  more 
like  they  were  brutes  than  like  human  beings.  Being 
a  Southern  man,  and  having  been  a  slave-owner  myself, 
I  know  whereof  I  speak.  In  writing  this  I  am  but 
following  the  injunction  of  Mr.  Cleveland,  when  he  told 
his  friends  to  "  Tell  the  truth." 

As  we  anticipate  visiting  some  of  the  Mohammedan 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  227 

mosques,  and  perhaps  other  places  of  worship,  on 
to-morrow,  I  will  tell  you  something  of  their  creed  and 
something  more  of  their  religious  service  than  I  have 
heretofore  done.  In  the  first  place,  the  followers  of 
Mohammed  comprise  about  fifteen  per  cent,  of  the 
human  family  ;  in  numbers,  near  two  hundred  million 
and  in  India,  and  perhaps  other  countries,  they  are  on 
the  increase.  Please  bear  this  in  mind  as  you  read  the 
following  pages.  These  are  the  people  that  now  occupy 
the  Holy  Land. 

The  articles  of  Mohammedan  creed  are  six :  "  Every 
Moslem  must  believe  in  the  unit}^  of  God,  in  the  angels, 
the  Koran,  the  prophets,  the  day  of  judgment,  and  the 
decrees  of  God."  Or,  as  the  Koran  has  it :  "  "Whoso- 
ever believeth  not  on  God,  and  His  angels,  and  His 
books,  and  His  apostles,  and  on  the  last  day,  he  verily 
hath  erred  with  far  gone  error."  But  the  brief  confes- 
sion which  can  be  expressed  by  the  upheld  finger,  that 
"  There  is  no  God  but  God,  and  Mohammed  is  the 
prophet  of  God,"  makes  any  man  a  Mohammedan. 
Mohammed,  "the  praised,"  or,  "  to  be  praised,"  was 
born  in  570  or  571  A.  D.  His  father,  Abdallah,  died 
shortly  before  he  was  born.  When  he  was  in  his  sixth 
year  his  mother  carried  the  boy  with  her  on  a  trip  to 
Medina,  which  is  about  two  hundred  miles  northeast 
of  Mecca.  On  their  return  his  mother,  whose  name 
was  Amina,  died.  The  boy  was  then  taken  and  edu- 
cated by  his  grandfather  and  his  uncle.  His  grand- 
father lived  only  two  years  after  the  death  of  his 
mother.  In  his  youth  Mohammed,  or  Mahomet,  as 
usually  written,  was  a  shepherd  and  followed  this  pur- 
suit several  years.  He  afterwards  undertook  commer- 
cial journeys ;  at  first  in  company  of  his  uncle,  and  then 


228  TRAVELS 'IN   EGYPT 

alone.  When  about  twenty-five  years  old  he  traveled 
in  the  service  of  the  widow  Khadijah,  whom  he  after- 
wards married.  And  let  me  say  to  his  credit,  although 
polygamy  was  practiced  by  the  Arabians  then,  as  now, 
Mohammed  never  took  to  himself  any  other  wife  as 
long  as  Khadijah  lived. 

The  family  of  Mohammed  were  the  custodians  of 
the  old  Kaba,  or  national-pagan  temple  at  Mecca,  in 
which  there  were  three  hundred  and  sixty  idols. 
Mohammed  declared  that  the  revelation  which  he 
believed  it  was  his  mission  to  impart  to  his  people 
especially,  was  nothing  new.  He  claimed  that  his 
religion  was  that  of  Abraham,  and  his  mission  was  to 
restore  it  to  its  ancient  purity ;  that  all  men  were 
born  Moslems,  but  that  surrounding  circumstances  had 
caused  them  to  fall  away  from  the  true  religion.  The 
peculiar  characteristic  of  his  doctrine  was  submission. 
"  There  is  one  God  and  through  him  ( Mohammed ) 
that  God  summons  you  to  submit  to  Him."  This  was 
the  simple  doctrine  which  gave  birth  to  the  most  aggres- 
sive religion  that  the  world  has  ever  known.  "  Sub- 
mission," says  Bishop  Butler, "  is  the  whole  of  religion." 
This  seems  to  have  been  Mohammed's  dominant  idea, 
and  when  persuasion  failed  to  accomplish  the  end  he 
resorted  to  the  sword. 

Obedience  to  God  and  submission  to  His  will 
and  His  providences  without  murmurings  or  complain- 
ings under  any  and  all  circumstances  and  conditions  in 
life  is  one  of  the  great  requirements  of  the  religion  of 
Mohammed.  No  one  can  travel  among  these  people 
who  now  number  one  hundred  and  seventy  million  or 
more  and  witness  their  devotion,  their  sincerity,  their 
calm,  uncomplaining  resignation  to  their  lot  in  life,  be 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  .  229 

it  what  it  may,  without  it  exciting  in  his  mind  a 
respect  for  their  opinions  and  an  admiration  for  their 
devotion  to  religious  conviction  and  duty. 

"This  is  the  only  religion  which  has  threatened 
Christianity  with  a  dangerous  rivalry."  It  is  the  only 
other  religion  now  known  among  men  whose  origin  is 
exposed  to  the  broad  daylight  of  history.  That 
Mohammed  was  an  extraordinary  man  no  one  can 
deny.  Who  of  all  the  great  men,  who  of  all  the  men  in 
the  past  ages,  who  have  left  an  impress  upon  the  age  in 
which  they  lived  and  who  at  the  same  time  have 
founded  a  religion,  ever  reformed  and  transformed  a 
people  from  barbarism  and  warring  tribes  and  factions 
into  one  united,  peaceable  brotherhood  and  estab- 
lished an  empire  ? 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Arab  tribes  which 
were  always  at  war  with  each  other,  in  the  short  space 
of  a  century,  were  not  only  at  peace  among  themselves, 
but  were  united  into  an  irresistible  power  "  which 
extended  its  arms  of  conquest  over  Syria,  Persia,  the 
whole  of  northern  Africa  and  Spain." 

With  this  great  religious  outbreak  came  also  a 
revival  of  learning  which  made  the  Arabs  the  teachers 
of  philosophy  and  art  to  Europe  during  a  long  period. 
"Arab  Spain  was  a  focus  of  light,  while  Christian 
Europe  lay  in  medieval  darkness." 

Reader,  you  ask  me  two  questions.  Who  are  the 
Arabs  ?  and  who  was  Mohammed  ?  I  will  answer  your 
questions  in  part  in  the  language  and  upon  the  authority 
of  Dr.  Clark,  and  Dr.  Clark  bases  his  answers  to 
these  questions  on  the  authority  of  some  seven  or  eight 
writers  on  orientals  and  oriental  literature. 

He  says,  "  The  Arabs  are  a  Semitic  people  belonging 


230  .      TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

to  the  same  great  race  or  family  with  the  Babylonians, 
Assyrians,  Phoenicians,  Hebrews,  Ethiopians,  and 
Carthagenians.  It  is  a  race  that  has  given  to  civilized 
man  his  literature  and  his  religion,  for  the  alphabet 
came  from  the  Phosnicians  and  the  Bible  from  the 
Jews.  In  Hannibal,  Arabia  produced  perhaps  the 
greatest  military  genius  the  world  has  ever  seen,  and 
the  Tyrian  merchants  circumnavigating  Africa,  dis- 
covering Great  Britain  and  trading  with  India  ten 
centuries  before  Christ,  had  no  equals  on  the  ocean 
until  the  time  of  the  Portuguese  discoveries  twenty-five 
centuries  later.  The  Arabs,  alone  of  the  seven  Semitic 
families,  remained  undistinguished  and  unknown  until 
the  days  of  Mohammed. 

Their  claim  of  being  descended  from  Abraham  is 
confirmed  by  the  unerring  evidence  of  language.  The 
Arabic  roots  are,  nine-tenths  of  them,  identical  with  the 
Hebrew,  and  a  similarity  of  grammatical  forms  shows 
a  plain  glossological  relation.  But  while  the  Jews 
have  a  history  from  the  days  of  Abraham,  the  Arabs 
had  none  till  the  days  of  Mohammed."  Header,  dur- 
ing twenty  centuries  these  nomads  wandered  to  and 
fro  engaged  in  mutual  wars,  verifying '  the  prophecy 
concerning  Ishmael  which  is  recorded  in  Genesis  xvi, 
J  2 :  "  He  will  be  a  wild  man.  His  hand  will  be  against 
every  man  and  every  man's  hand  against  him." 

"Wherever  such  wandering  races  exist,  whether  in 
Arabia,  Turkestan  or  equatorial  Africa,  darkness 
covers  the  earth  and  gross  darkness  the  people."  The 
earth  has  no  geography  and  the  people  no  history. 
During  this  long  period  from  the  time  of  Abraham  to 
that  of  Mohammed,  the  Arabs  were  not  a  nation ,  but 
only  a  multitude  of  tribes,  either  stationary  or  wan- 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  231 

dering.  But  of  these  two  the  nomad  or  wandering 
Bedouins  is  the  true  type  of  the  race  as  it  exists  in 
northern  Arabia.  The  Arab  of  the  south  is  in  many 
respects  different,  in  language,  in  manners,  and  in 
character.  But  the  northern  Arab  in  his  tent  has 
remained  unchanged  since  the  days  of  the  Bible. 
Proud  of  his  pure  blood,  of  his  freedom,  of  his  tribe 
and  of  his  ancient  customs,  he  makes  no  change  and 
desires  none.  He  is  in  Asia  what  the  North  American 
Indian  is  upon  the  Western  Continent.  The  Indian's 
chief  virtues  are :  courage  in  war,  cunning,  wild  justice, 
hospitality  and  fortitude.  The  Arab,  however,  is  of  a 
better  race  ;  more  reflective,  more  religious,  and  with 
a  thirst  for  knowledge.  The  pure  air  and  the  simple 
food  of  the  Arabian  plains  keep  him  in  perfect  health, 
and  the  necessity  of  constant  watchfulness  against  his 
foes  from  whom  he  has  no  defense  of  rock,  forest, 
or  fortification,  quickens  his  perceptive  faculties." 

The  Arab,  though  wild,  lawless  and  warlike  by  nature, 
had  a  sense  of  spiritual  things  which  appears  to  have 
been  implanted  in  his  make-up.  The  Koran  says : 
"  Every  child  is  born  into  the  religion  of  nature.  Its 
parents  make  it  a  Jew,  a  Christian  or  a  magian."  When 
Mohammed  came,  the  religion  of  the  Arabs  was  a  com- 
plete jumble  of  Judaism,  Christianity,  idolatry,  and 
fetichism.  We  learn  that  at  one  time  there  had  been 
a  "  powerful  and  intolerant  "  Jewish  kingdom  in  one 
part  of  Arabia.  At  another  time  the  king  of  Abyssinia 
had  established  Christianity,  but  neither  of  these  forms 
of  religion  had  ever  spread  extensively  or  generally 
over  the  country.  And  at  the  end  of  the  sixth  centtfry, 
when  Mohammed  made  his  appearance,  idolatry  was 
the  prevailing  form  of  worship  in  Arabia. 


232  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

"  To  Mohammed  was  given  more  than  to  any  other 
man  mentioned  in  history." 

"The  monarch's  mind,  the  mystery  of  commanding, 
' '  The  birth-hour  gift,  the  art  Napoleon, 
"Of  wielding,  molding,  gathering,  welding,  bonding, 
"  The  hearts  of  thousands  till  they  move  as  one." 

"  Mohammed  was  forty  years  old  before  he  became 
"the  ambitious  leader  of  an  army.  His  youth  was 
"  unstained  by  vice,  and  his  honorable  deportment  and 
"upright  course  soon  obtained  for  him  the  title  which 
"  he  bears  among  his  followers  even  until  to-day,  Al 
"Amin  (the  faithful).  It  appears  that  the  habit  of 
"  retiring  from  the  multitude  and  spending  hours  and 
"  days  in  meditation  was  perhaps  acquired  in  attending 
"flocks  in  the  mountains  around  Mecca.  He  was  a 
"  quiet,  calm,  thoughtful  man.  His  habit  was  to  retire 
"  to  a  cave  on  Mount  Hira,  near  Mecca,  to  pray  and 
"  meditate.  He  seems  to  have  been  a  sad  man ;  one 
"  who  realized  the  evils  in  the  world  around  him.  One 
"  of  the  Suras  ( chapters  )  of  the  Koran  (which  perhaps 
"  was  written  when  in  one  of  his  meditative,  careful 
moods,  Sura  103,)  reads : 

"By  the  declining  day  I  swear, 

' '  Verily  man  is  in  the  way  of  ruin, 

' '  Excepting  such  as  possess  faith 

•'And  do  the  things  which  be  right, 

"  And  stir  up  one  another  to  truth  and  steadfastness." 

About  this  time  Mohammed  professed  to  have  vis- 
ions of  the  angels.  Gabriel,  it  seems,  was  more  partial 
to  him  than  the  other  angels,  or  at  least  he  has  claimed 
to  have  had  more  frequent  vista  tions  from  Gabriel. 
He  claimed  also  to  have  seen  a  light  and  heard  a  voice 
and  to  have  had  such  sentences  as  the  above  put  into 
his  mind.  Weil  says  Mohammed  was  subject  to  epi- 


AND   THE   HOLT    LAND.  233 

leptic  convulsions  and  that  these  supernatural  manifes- 
tations presented  themselves  to  his  mind  during  these 
convulsions.  "Weil,  however,  makes  a  mistake  in  this, 
for  as  a  rule  the  epileptic  has  no  recollection  of 
thoughts  or  mental  impressions,  which  occur  during 
the  existence  of  the  epileptic  convulsion.  Be  that  as 
it  may,  however,  one  thing  is  sure,  Mohammed  became 
convinced  in  some  way  of  a  great  fact  that  there  was 
one  true  and  living  God,  the  maker  of  all  worlds  and 
the  things  therein  contained.  This  conviction  was  so 
forcibly  impressed  upon  his  mind  as  to  leave  no  doubt 
or  misgiving  to  harass  or  disturb  his  fixedness  of  pur- 
pose in  after  life.  He  conscientiously  believed  it  to  be 
his  duty  and  his  mission  to  bring  his  people  to  the 
adoption  of  the  one  great  truth  which  he  believed  came 
as  a  revelation  from  a  higher  intelligence. 

It  will  not  do  to  sc,y  that  Mohammed  never  had  his 
hours  of  wavering.  He  descended  from  the  noble  and 
influential  family  of  Kurish,  or  Koriesh,  for  the  name  is 
spelled  both  ways,  who  opposed  his  doctrine,  and,  see- 
in0  no  way  of  overcoming  their  bitter  hostility,  after 
years  of  seemingly  hopeless  struggle  he  bethought 
himself  of  a  method  of  compromise.  He  had  then  been 
preaching  five  years  and  had  only  forty  or  fifty  con- 
verts to  his  faith.  It  is  said  on  one  occasion  he  recited 
one  of  the  Suras  of  the  Koran  in  the  presence  of  some 
of  the  chief  citizens,  and  mentioned  three  of  the  god- 
desses which  were  kept  in  the  Kaba.  The  Koreish 
were  so  delighted  at  this  that  when  he  called  upon 
them,  to  worship  Allah  (God)  they  all  fell  upon  their 
faces  and  worshiped  God.  But  like  Peter,  Moham- 
med repented  of  this  recognition  of  their  deities, 
regarding  it  as  a  great  wrong  and  prayed  for  forgive- 


234:  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

ness.  The  opposition  to  Mohammed  and  his  followers  in- 
creased to  such  a  degree  that  his  disciples  were  banished 
from  the  country.  Mohammed  advised  them  to  go  to 
Abyssinia,  which  they  did,  rather  than  remain  and 
suffer  martyrdom.  Mohammed  himself,  however, 
braved  the  storm  a  while  longer,  notwithstanding  he 
was  surrounded  on  every  hand  by  bitter  foes  who 
sought  to  put  an  end  to  his  life  and  thereby  to  his  new 
doctrine;  still  he  stood  firm  in  the  faith  and  never 
ceased  to  openly  preach  and  teach  what  he  believed. 
Mohammed  had  some  strong  friends  and  disciples  who 
were  as  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  truth  of  his  doc- 
trine as  he  was  himself.  Kadijah,  his  wife,  and  his  two 
adopted  children,  Ali  and  Zeid,  were  among  his  earliest 
converts  and  most  faithful  adherents. 

There  had  long  been  numerous  and  powerful  tribes 
of  Jewish  proselytes  at  Medina  and  in  the  surrounding 
country.  "  They  had  often  predicted  the  speedy  com- 
ing of  a  prophet  like  Moses."  At  this  time  these 
proselytes  were  at  peace  among  themselves  and  united 
in  their  religious  views,  but  the  idolaters  were  divided 
by  bitter  quarrels.  Mohammed  for  a  long  time  taught 
a  modified  Judaism.  He  taught  a  revival  of  the 
religion  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob.  He  claimed  to 
be  a  prophet  and  inspired,  not  to  teach  a  new  religion, 
but  to  restore  the  universal  religion  which  God  had 
taught  to  man  in  the  beginning ;  the  religion  of  the 
patriarchs  and  prophets,  the  essential  of  which  was  the 
unity  of  God,  his  supremacy  and  providence. 

This  teaching  secured  for  him  a  greater  tolerance 
for  his  views  and  less  danger  for  his  person  in  Medina 
than  at  Mecca.  Animosity  toward  him  and  his  doctrine 
growing  fiercer  and  more  intolerant  year  after  year  at 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  235 

Mecca,  it  being  the  great  central  point  of  their  idola- 
trous worship,  the  objective  point  of  their  pilgrimages, 
the  home  of  their  deities,  the  one  sacred  locality  above 
all  others,  there  was  no  doubt  a  greater  religious  fervor 
and  zeal  in,  around  and  about  Mecca  than  elsewhere 
among  his  people.  This,  of  course,  enhanced  his  danger 
and  rendered  his  doctrine  more  abhorrent  in  this  par- 
ticular locality. 

Mohammed,  at  the  time  of  the  prilgrimage  to  Mecca, 
met  many  of  these  semi-Judaized  pilgrims  who  promised 
to  become  his  disciples.  The  pledge  they  took  was  as 
follows :  "  We  will  not  worship  any  but  the  one  god  ; 
we  will  not  steal  nor  commit  adultery ;  not  kill  our 
children  (females) ;  will  not  slander  at  all,  nor  diso- 
bey the  prophet  in  anything  that  is  right."  The  Jews 
had  required  of  their  proselytes  to  change  all  their 
previous  customs  and  conform  to  the  ceremonies  of  the 
Jewish  law  ;  Mohammed,  on  the  contrary,  only  asked 
for  submission. 

Header,  you  will  observe  in  the  above  pledge  that 
Mohammed  required  that  they  would  not  kill  their 
female  children.  The  Hebrew  law  reckoned  a  woman 
ceremonially  unclean  after  giving  birth  to  a  child,  and 
doubly  so  if  the  child  be  a  daughter.  It  was  a  custom 
among  the  Arabs  prior  to  and  up  to  the  time  of 
Mohammed  to  make  way  with  female  children  at  their 
option  as  soon  as  they  were  born.  But  often  the  child  was 
allowed  to  live  until  she  was  five  or  six  years  of  age,  and 
then,  when  every  parent  who  reads  these  pages  would 
think  that  she  had  entwined  herself  with  the  tenderest 
chords  of  love  and  aroused  in  the  breast  of  her  parents 
the  tenderest  and  most  endearing  emotions  of  the 
human  heart,  her  father  would  one  day  say  to  his  wife : 


236  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

"  Perfume  and  adorn  her  that  I  may  take  her  away  to 
her  mothers."  This  being  done,  he  would  lead  the  lit- 
tle, innocent,  prattling  child  to  a  pit  or  grave  and  tell 
her  to  look  into  it,  and,  standing  behind  her,  would 
push  her  in  and  immediately  fill  the  grave,  burying 
the  child  alive.  One  reliable  author  says :  "  Some  idea 
of  the  extent  to  which  this  was  practiced  may  be 
formed  from  the  fact  that  one  man  had  saved  from  this 
horrible  death  no  fewer  than  two  hundred  and  eighty 
girls.  Buried  alive  !  The  very  thought  is  horrifying 
and  repugnant  to  every  feeling  and  sentiment  of  the 
human  heart,  and  a  thousandfold  more  so  to  the 
parental  heart.  It  will  be  remembered  that  about  this 
time  Mohammed  had  his  famous  dream  or  vision.  In 
this  vision  he  was  carried  by  night  by  the  angel  Gabriel 
on  a  winged  steed  to  Jerusalem  to  meet  all  the  prophets 
of  God  and  to  be  welcomed  by  them  to  their  number, 
and  then  transported  to  the  seventh  heaven  into  the 
presence  of  God. 

"When,  in  our  travels,  we  reach  Jerusalem,  we  will 
have  occasion  to  refer  again  to  this  dream  of  the 
prophet. 

The  disciples  of  Mohammed  having  for  the  second 
time  pledged  him  protection  at  Medina,  and  becoming 
convinced  by  the  increased  rancor  and  bitterness  of  his 
enemies  that  he  and  his  followers  would  be  driven  to 
seek  safety  in  flight,  he  gave  his  disciples  orders  to  flee 
to  Medina  in  small  detachments.  His  enemies  were 
confounded  by  this  move  and  plotted  his  immediate 
assassination.  But  before  their  plans  were  matured 
Mohammed  himself  disappeared  from  their  midst.  As 
soon  as  this  fact  became  known,  an  armed  party  was 
sent  on  swift  horses  and  camels  in  pursuit,  with  orders 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  237 

to  search  the  whole  route  to  Medina  and,  if  captured,  to 
bring  the  whole  party  back  to  Mecca.  The  fugitives, 
however,  instead  of  going  direct  to  Medina,  secreted 
themselves  in  a  cave  near  Mecca,  and  there  remained 
until  their  pursuers  returned  from  their  fruitless  search, 
after  which  the  prophet  and  his  followers  made  their 
escape  and  reached  Medina  in  safety.  It  is  claimed  by 
the  followers  of  Mohammed  that  a  miracle  was  wrought 
at  that  time  to  save  the  life  of  the  prophet.  It  is  said 
as  soon  as  he  had  secreted  himself  in  the  cave,  spiders 
wove  their  silken  cords  over  the  mouth  of  the  cave  in 
such  profusion  that  his  enemies,  in  coming  to  the  cave 
in  their  search  for  him,  on  seeing  the  spider  web  would 
and  did  conclude  that  no  one  had  entered  the  cave  for 
many  days  or  even  weeks.  This  flight  of  Mohammed 
to  Medina  is  called  the  Hegira,  and  is  reckoned  to  have 
occurred  on  the  20th  of  June,  A.  D.  622.  From  this 
period  the  Moslems  count  or  reckon  their  time  in  the 
same  manner  that  Christian  nations  reckon  theirs  from 
the  birth  of  Christ.  From  this  date  the  Mohammedan 
era  began,  and  the  seemingly  sincere,  conscientious  and 
upright  character  of  the  prophet  to  wane.  Mohammed 
had  borne  the  loss  of  family,  prestige,  of  wealth  and 
popularity,  among  his  people  with  a  calm  and  deter- 
mined.  fortitude  seldom  equaled.  "  Up  to  this  time 
Mohammed's  only  weapon  had  been  what  he  regarded 
as  a  great  fact  or  revealed  truth."  But  now  he  seized 
the  sword,  and  as  he  failed  to  convince  his  people  by 
the  most  powerful  and  eloquent  preaching,  he  deter- 
mined to  compel  them  by  force  to  adopt  his  teachings. 
;'  He  now  became  the  head  and  leader  of  a  party  con- 
triving expedients  for  its  success.  From  this  time  his 
career  is  marked  by  bloodshed,  falsehood  and  cruelty." 


238  TBAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

The  first  regular  battle  which  the  prophet  and  his 
followers  had  with  his  opponents  was  that  of  Badr, 
which'  took  place  in  January,  -A.  D.  624.  In  this 
engagement  Mohammed  was  successful,  although  it 
was  a  hard-fought  battle.  "When  the  bodies  of  his  ene- 
mies were  being  buried  he  spoke  to  them  very  bitterly 
and  had  many  of  the  prisoners  put  to  the  sword.  Mr. 
Weil  mentions  many  cases  of  assassination  which  took 
place  at  the  prophet's  command.  A  quarrel  between 
some  Jews  and  some  Moslems^  brought  on  an  attack 
upon  the  Jewish  tribe.  The  Jews  surrendered  after  a 
siege  of  fifteen  days,  and  Mohammed  ordered  them  all 
to  be  slain ;  but  finally,  at  the  earnest  request  of  a  pow- 
erful chief  in  Medina,  he  modified  their  punishment  to 
banishment.  They  were  sent  into  exile,  with  the  curse 
of  the  prophet  upon  their  heads  and  upon  that  of  their 
intercessor. 

The  worst  action  of  this  kind  perpetrated  by 
Mohammed  was  in  having  seven  or  eight  hundred 
Jewish  prisoners  put  to  death  and  their  wives  and 
children  sold  into  slavery.  The  prophet  selected  from 
among  them  one  woman  more  beautiful  than  the 
others  for  his  concubine. 

As  another  evidence  of  his  demoralization  and  licen- 
tiousness, Mohammed  claimed  about  this  time  to  have 
received  other  revelations  allowing  him  to  take'to  him- 
self wives  beyond  the  usual  limit  of  the  law. 

He  added  one  after  another  to  his  harem,  until  he 
had  ten  wives,  besides  his  slave  concubines. 

The  latter  part  of  Mohammed's  life  was  passed  in 
almost  continual  warfare  with  tribes  rejecting  his,  to 
them,  new  doctrine.  But  he  seems  to  have  been  more 
successful  as  a  military  leader  than  a  reformer. 


AND   THE    HOLT    LAND.  239 

In  630  A.  D.  he  took  Mecca  and  destroyed  the  pagan 
idols,  after  which  the  tribes  throughout  Arabia  acqui- 
esced in  the  prophet's  authority.  They  all  either 
accepted  his  religion  or  paid  him  tribute.  "  His  success 
was  complete.  He  had  overcome  his  two  most 
bitter  enemies,  Aswad  and  Museilama,  and  in  truth 
brought  his  enemies  under  his  feet.  The  prophet,  how- 
ever, lived  but  a  short  time  after  this.  The  hardships 
and  exposures  incident  to  a  warrior's  life,  in  connection 
with  the  mental  excitement  which  necessarily  accom- 
panies an  intestine  war,  such  as  he  had  been  engaged 
in,  caused  his  speedy  death."  A  writer  has  said  :  "  It  is 
a  sad  sight  and  a  sadder  reflection  to  see  a  great  soul 
conquered  by  success."  The  last  ten  years  of  the 
prophet's  life  had  been  spent  in  building  up  a  fanatical 
army  of  warriors  destined  to  conquer  half  the  civilized 
world. 

We  haven't  the  time,  and  it  would  be  out  of  place 
here,  to  enlarge  upon  the  character  of  this  man,  one  of 
the  greatest  the  world  has  ever  produced ;  for  many 
years  a  pure  man,  a  man  of  the  deepest  convictions, 
but  drawn  down  at  last  under  the  delusion  that  the 
ends  justified  the  means.  The  religion  of  Mohammed 
is  not  the  only  system  of  religion  which  has  been 
founded  upon  this  false  theory  ;  for  the  theory  is  not 
only  false  in  fact,  but  contrary  to  every  principle  of 
right  and  justice.  The  means  used  to  accomplish  the 
end  may  entail  upon  humanity  a  hundredfold  greater 
evil  than  the  end  could  possibly  do  good,  even  if  the 
end  be  accomplished  in  all  of  its  anticipated  parts. 
Mohammed  died  on  the  8th  of  June,  632  A*  D.,  in  the 
arms  of  his  favorite  wife,  Ayesha. 


TRAVELS  IN   EGYPT 


CHAPTER  X. 

IN  the  foregoing  pages  I  have  endeavored  to  give  the 
reader   in  brief  an  answer  to  the  questions  asked, 
and  it  now  remains  for  me  to  tell  you  something  more 
of   the  religious  doctrines  and  practices  among  the 
Mohammedans. 

"The  essential  doctrine  of  the  Mohammedans,  as 
before  stated,  is  the  absolute  unity  and  supremacy  of 
God  as  opposed  to  the  old  pagan  Polytheism,  or  plural 
ity  of  gods,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  Christian  trinity 
on  the  other."  They  believe  in  the  angels  and  genii. 
Gabriel  and  Michael  are  regarded  by  them  as  the 
angels  of  power ;  Azriel,  the  angel  of  death  ;  and  Isra- 
fil,  the  angel  of  resurrection.  They  call  Satan, 
Eblis.  The  Koran  teaches  the  doctrine  of  eternal 
decrees  or  absolute  predestination.  It  teaches  that 
there  were  prophets  and  revelations  before  Mohammed. 
They  claim  that  there  have  been  in  all  about  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty -four  thousand  prophets  ;  but  they 
differed  very  widely  in  rank  and  mission.  Their  prin- 
cipal prophets,  and  those  whom  they  revere  more  highly 
than  the  others,  are :  Adam,  whom  they  regard  as  a 
perfect  pattern  of  human  perfection ;  Noah,  whose 
history  is  related  more  than  once  in  the  Koran ; 
another  of  their  favorite  prophets  and  a  great  teacher, 
Abraham,  is  spoken  of  in  the  Koran  as  he  is  in  the 
Bible,  and  is  called  "a  friend  of  God."  He  is 
regarded  by  the  Moslems  as  a  person  of  the  utmost 
importance,  not  only  on  account  of  the  religion  of 

240 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  241 

Abraham,  but  because  he  was  the  progenitor  of  their 
race  through  Ishmael. 

He  is  represented,  and  they  believe,  that  he  built 
the  temple  or  Kaba  at  Mecca,  where  they  claim  to 
show  you  his  footprints  to  this  day.  In  the  Sixth 
Sura. of  the  Koran  we  find  this  language  :  "  Call  to 
mind  when  Abraham  said  to  his  father,  Azer  (the 
Bible  tells  us  Abraham's  father  was  named  Terah), 
Dost  thou  take  images  for  gods  ?  "  Terah  is  said  in 
Scripture  to  have  served  strange  gods.  "  Verily  I 
perceive  that  thou  and  thy  people  are  in  manifest 
error,  and  thus  did  he  show  unto  Abraham  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  and  earth,  that  he  might  become  one 
of  those  who  firmly  believed." 

"  And  when  the  night  overshadowed  him  he  saw  a 
star  and  said,  *  This  is  my  Lord,'  but  when  it  set  he 
said,  *  I  like  not  gods  which  set.'  And  when  he  saw  the 
moon  rising  he  said,  '  This  is  my  Lord  ; '  but  when  he 
saw  it  set  he  said,  *  Verily,  if  my  Lord  direct  me  not,  I 
shall  become  one  of  the  people  who  go  astray.'  And 
when  he  saw  the  sun  rising  he  said,  '  This  is  my  Lord, 
this  is  the  greatest.'  But  when  it  set  he  said,  '  Oh  my 
people,  verily  I  am  clear  of  that  which  ye  associate 
with  God.  I  direct  my  face  unto  him  who  hath  created 
the  heavens  and  the  earth.' " 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  quotation  from  the  Koran 
that  Mohammed  adds  force  and  strength  to  his  own 
teachings  by  claiming  the  experience  of  Abraham  in 
his  search  for  the  true  God  to  have  coincided  with  his 
own.  Therefore,  they  esteem  Abraham  as  one  of  the 
greatest  of  the  prophets. 

Moses,  another  of  their  prophets,  is  presented  in  the 
Koran  with  no  new  or  special  features  of  interest.  He 


242  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

is  called  the  "Speaker  of  God."  Jesus  is  called  "Isa" 
in  the  Koran,  and  is  represented  as  the  son  of  Miriam, 
the  sister  of  Moses  (but  Isa  is  properly  Esau,  a  name 
of  reproach  among  the  Jews).  He  is  also  styled  the 
"  "Word  of  God,"  as  in  the  gospel  of  John.  A  parallel 
is  also  drawn  between  the  creation  of  Adam  anfl  the 
nativity  of  Christ.  Like  Adam,  Jesus  is  said  to  have 
been  a  prophet  from  childhood,  and  to  have  wrought 
miracles  which  surpassed  those  of  all  other  prophets, 
including  even  Mohammed  himself.  It  represents 
another  as  having  been  crucified  in  his  stead,  but  it  says : 
"  God  caused  Jesus  also  to  die  for  a  few  hours  before 
taking  him  up  to  heaven."  No  one  can  read  the  Koran 
without  being  clearly  convinced  that  Mohammed  merely 
repeated  what  he  had  learned  from  various  sources. 
First,  from  the  Jews,  and  afterwards  from  Christians. 
Many  of  the  statements  in  the  Koran  show  that 
Mohammed  made  them  from  memory,  and  that  his 
memory  was  often  seriously  at  fault. 

Alexander  the  Great  is  enumerated  as  one  of  the 
prophets  by  the  Mohammedans.  He  is  associated  with 
the  Khidar,  or  the  animating  power  of  nature,  which 
is  sometimes  mentioned  as  identified  with  Elijah. 

Mohammed,  coming  last,  is  called  the  seal  of  the 
prophets,  i  e.,  summing  up  and  closing  all  the  revela- 
tions of  God  to  man.  Unbelief  in  the  scriptures  is  put 
by  Mohammed  on  a  level  with  unbelief  in  the  Koran 
itself.  In  the  fortieth  Sura  he  says,  "  They  who 
charge  with  falsehood  the  book  of  the  Koran  and  the 
other  sacred  scriptures  and  revealed  doctrines  we  sent 
our  former  apostles  to  preach,  shall  hereafter  know 
their  folly,  when  the  collars  shall  be  on  their  necks 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  243 

and  the  chains  by  which  they  shall  be  dragged  into 
hell." 

This  places  the  Mohammedan  in  a  bad  fix.  It 
requires  him  to  believe  in  the  scriptures  and  the  apos- 
tles, which  not  only  contradicts  the  stories  of  the  Koran, 
but  explodes  their  whole  system  of  religion.  "  They 
are  commanded  and  threatened  with  the  horrors  of  hell 
if  they  refuse  to  accept  Jesus  as  a  prophet,  and  at?  the 
same  time  commanded  to  accept  Mohammed.  Just  as 
though  they  taught  the  same  grand  truths ;  when,  in 
reality,  their  doctrines  are  as  far  apart  as  the  poles. 
They  believe  with  some  theologians  in  an  intermediate 
state  after  death.  They  also  believe  in  a  resurrection  and 
a  day  of  judgment.  According  to  their  creed  all  non- 
believers  in  Mohammedanism  will  be  sent  into  eternal 
punishment,  a  veritable  hell  fire.  They  are  more  char- 
itable, however,  than  one  would  suppose,  or  than  some 
people  are  in  regard  to  the  heathen.  The  Moslems 
believe  there  are  separate  hells  and  separate  degrees  of 
punishment.  One  for  the  Jews,  one  for  the  Christians, 
another  for  the  Sabians,  another  for  the  Magians,  one 
for  idolaters,  and  another  for  the  hypocrites  of  all 
religions. 

They  teach  that  the  Moslem  is  judged  by  his  actions, 
that  a  balance  is  held  by  the  angel  Gabriel,  one  end  of 
which  is  suspended  over  Paradise  and  the  other  over 
purgatory ;  and  his  good  deeds  are  placed  in  one  end  of 
the  balance  and  his  bad  deeds  in  the  other.  If  his  good 
deeds  outweigh  his  bad  he  is  forwarded  on  to  Paradise. 
But  if  his  bad  deeds  predominate  or  outweigh  hie  good 
he  is  without  any  further  ceremony  dumped  into 
Hades,  or  a  purgatory,  to  await  the  final  judgment  day. 
If  he  goes  to  Paradise  he  finds  there  seventy-two 


244 

houris,  nymphs  of  Paradise,  more  beautiful  and 
enchanting  than  angels,  awaiting  him  to  conduct  him 
to  gardens  rich  and  fragrant  with  ever  blooming  flow- 
ers, groves  and  marble  palaces.  These  houris  delight 
his  ears  with  sweet  strains  of  heavenly  music." 

But  that  you  may  judge  for  yourself  how  far  this 
prophet  was  responsible  for  impressing  upon  the  minds 
of  his  followers  his  idea  of  a  material  paradise,  I  give 
you  a  description  of  it  from  the  Koran.  It  says : 
"  These  are  they  who  shall  be  brought  nigh  to  God  in 
gardens  of  delight,  a  crowd  from  the  ancients,  a  few 
from  later  generations.  On  inwrought  couches,  reclin- 
ing on  them,  face  to  face,  immortal  youths  go  round 
about  to  them  with  goblets  and  ewers  and  a  cup  from 
the  fountain.  Their  brows  ache  not  from  it,  nor  fails 
the  sense.  And  with  such  fruits  as  they  shall  make 
choice  of  and  the  flesh  of  such  birds  as  they  shall  long  for, 
and  theirs  shall  be  the  houris  with  large  dark  eyes  like 
close-kept  pearls,  a  recompense  for  their  labors  past. 
No  vain  discourse  shall  they  hear  therein,  nor  charge 
of  sin,  but  only  the  cry,  peace,  peace !  And  the  people 
on  the  right  hand,  how  happy  the  people  on  the  right 
hand !  Amid  thornless  Lote  trees,  and  bananas  with 
flowers,  and  extended  shade  and  flowing  waters  and 
abundant  fruits,  unfailing  and  unforbidden,  and  lofty 
couches.  Verily  of  a  rare  creation  have  we  created 
the  houris,  and  we  have  made  them  ever  virgins,  dear 
to  their  spouses,  of  equal  age  with  them,  for  the  people 
of  the  right  hand,  a  crowd  from  the  ancients  and  a  crowd 
from  later  generations." 

Great  stress  is  laid  upon  the  importance  of  prayer, 
fastings,  ablutions  and  once  during  life  a  pilgrimage 
to  Mecca. 


AND   THE    HOLY   LAND.  245 

I  have  heretofore  explained  the  hours  of  prayer  and 
the  postures  and  genuflexions  used  in  this  part  of  their 
religious  exercise.  Another  important  duty  of  the 
believer  is  a  strict  observance  of  the  month  of  Rhama- 
dan.  From  daybreak  to  sunset  eating  and  drinking 
are  absolutely  forbidden,  and  the  zealous  ones  among 
them  avoid  swallowing  even  the  saliva  which  accumu- 
lates in  the  mouth.  When  on  pilgrimages  or  conduct- 
ing caravans  across  the  desert,  this  religious  observance 
entails  great  suffering  from  thirst.  But  it  is  endured 
with  that  calm  fortitude  and  steady  submission  which 
becomes  a  faithful  Moslem. 

"  As  the  Arabic  year  is  lunar  and  therefore  eleven 
days  shorter  than  ours,  this  fast  runs  through  all  the 
seasons  in  the  course  of  thirty-three  years.  Conse- 
quently its  strict  observance,  as  before  intimated,  causes 
much  suffering  from  thirst  when  it  comes  in  the  hot 
summer  months.  "Many  shops  and  offices  are  kept 
closed  during  the  entire  month  of  Rhamadan.  This 
fast  is  not  a  pretense  or  merely  abstaining  from  the 
heavier  or  richer  articles  of  food,  as  some  .may  have 
thought;  it  is  a  bona  fide  total  abstinence  from  all 
manner  of  food,  drink  and  use  of  tobacco  from  day- 
break to  sunset,  each  day,  throughout  the  whole  month."- 

The  hard  wrought  laborer,  in  the  burning  streets  or 
under  the  Eastern  noonday  sun,  must  endure  his  misery; 
or,  should  he  be  on  the  desert,  blinded  by  the  ever 
drifting  sand  and  scorched  by  the  ever  burning  sun 
above,  still  he  bears  all,  enduring  all,  and  murmurs  not. 
Is  he  prompted  in  this  by  a  deep-rooted  consciousness 
of  performance  of  duty?  Or  is  it  blind  obedience  to 
religious  law  ?  "  He  may  fall  from  his  camel  or  sit 
insensible  in  his  saddle,  but  he  will  chew  nothing,  taste 


246  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

nothing,  not  even  smell  anything  that  might  have  a 
tendency  to  revive,  for  a  time,  his  over-taxed  energies." 

Dr.  Burton  says  this  fast  is  not  obligatory  in  cases  of 
illness,  but,  says  he,  "  I  found  but  one  patient  who 
would  eat  even  to  save  his  life." 

There  is  great  and  universal  rejoicing  when  this  long 
and  rigid  fast  is  over.  Drums  are  beaten,  guns  and 
pistols  fired,  and  a  general  jollification  and  rejoicing 
indulged  in.  Even  the  Arab  children  throng  on  the 
streets  shouting  "  Ehamadan  Mat "  i.  e.%  "  Rhamadan  is 
dead." 

I  suppose  they  fondly  anticipate  a  change  in  the  tem- 
pers of  their  parents,  as  it  is  a  notorious  fact  known 
the  world  over  that  a  hungry  man  is  an  angry  man. 

The  Koran  enjoins  it  upon  every  believer  to  be 
liberal  in  his  contributions  to  relieve  the  distress  of 
others.  "A  liberal  unbeliever"  says  Ali,  "may 
sooner  hope  for  Paradise  than  an  avaricious  Mohamme- 
dan." The  Mohammedan  religion  makes  provision  for 
a  tax  by  government  officials  to  be  expended  in  afford- 
ing relief  to  the  poor.  This  Zakar,  or  legal  alms,  or 
tax,  however,  like  our  income  tax,  is  exacted  only  from 
those  who  have  a  certain  amount  of  revenue  and  have 
•been  in  possession  of  the  same  for  a  year.  He  must 
give  a  prescribed  amount  or  portion  of  all  his  property, 
one-tenth  of  his  fruit  and  farm  products,  one  of  every 
hundred  of  his  camels,  and  two  and  a  half  per  cent  of 
his  money,  both  capital  and  increase. 

In  Sura  Ninth,  directions  are  given  for  the  distribu- 
tion of  this  two  and  a  half  per  cent  fund.  It  says:  "  It 
shall  be  for  the  relief  of  debtors  who  can  not  pay  their 
debts,  for  the  aid  of  slaves  who  wish  to  buy  their  free- 


AND   THE    HOLY   LAND.  247 

dom,  for  strangers,  travelers,  pilgrims,  and  the  desti- 
tute poor." 

The  next  requirement  of  the  Mohammedan  religion 
to  which  I  now  call  your 'attention  is  pilgrimage.  This 
duty  is  enjoined  by  the  Koran.  Every  believer,  male 
and  female,  no  matter  where  they  may  live — distance 
and  expense  are  not  to  be  considered — must,  at  least 
once  in  their  life  time,  visit  the  holy  city  and  temple 
of  Mecca.  It  is  reported  that  Mohammed  said,  "that 
a  man  had  as  well  die  a  Jew  or  a  Christian  as  to  die 
without  having  made  a  pilgrimage  to  Mecca." 

This  language  doubtless  conveyed  a  much  deeper  and 
truer  meaning  than  the  prophet  intended. 

Reader,  you  will  remember  when  we  went  aboard 
the  vessel  at  Pira3us,  Greece,  to  embark  for  Egypt,  we 
found  on  board  some  five  or  six  hundred  Mohamme- 
dans en  route  for  Mecca.  Since  the  completion  of  the 
Suez  canal  thousands  of  Mohammedans  from  Constan- 
tinople, from  the  Black  Sea  country,  and  Egypt,  make 
the  pilgrimage  to  Mecca  by  water,  passing  through  the 
canal  and  down  the  Red  Sea  as  far  as  Jeddo,  where 
they  land  and  walk  out  to  the  holy  city,  which  is  only 
some  twelve  or  fourteen  miles  distant  in  the  interior. 
The  stricter  sect  of  Moslems  say  that  every  one  who  is 
able  to  walk  and  earn  his  bread  on  the  way  is  under 
obligation  to  make  this  pilgrimage.  This  strict  require- 
ment of  obedience  to  this  religious  law  compels  many 
of  these  poor  creatures  to  leave  their  homes  in  northern 
India  and  inner  Africa  and  beg  their  way  to  Mecca, 
facing  the  terrors  of  the  desert  and  the  sea,  and  travel- 
ing long  distances  through  foreign  countries.  Pauper 
pilgrims  are  now  provided  by  the  Turkish  government 
with  free  sea  passage,  and  the  overland  pauper  pilgrims 


248  TRAVELS  IN  EGrPT 

receive  a  stipulated  sum  from  the  government  to  aid 
them  in  the  undertaking.  I  was  told  that  the  govern- 
ment annually  contributed  some  three  or  four  hundred 
thousand  dollars  for  this  purpose. 

In  Syria  the  great  bulk  of  pilgrims  make  Damascus 
their  starting  point  and  follow  the  caravan  route  by 
way  of  Medina.  A  large  caravan,  comprising  some 
fifty  or  seventy-five  thousand,  were  preparing  to  leave 
Damascus  on  this  pilgrimage  when  we  were  in  that  old 
city.  When  the  pilgrims  get  within  five  miles  of  the 
holy  city  (believing  the  ground  holy  for  five  miles 
around  the  great  temple),  they  undress,  laying  aside 
even  their  head-gear,  and  put  on  the  pilgrim  garb,  i.  e., 
they  put  on  aprons  made  of  a  piece  of  white  cloth 
without  seam,  and  throw  another  piece  over  the  left 
shoulder,  and  put  sandals  on  their  feet.  This  comprises 
the  proper  pilgrim  garb.  On  arriving  at  the  sacred 
building  itself,  the  pilgrim  first  prays,  then  drinks  a  cup 
of  the  distasteful  water  of  Zem  Zem  (Hagar's  Well), 
and  begins  his  circumambulations,  or,  as  the  Molsems 
call  it,  "  Tawaf."  The  pilgrim  goes  around  the  Kaba, 
or  temple,  seven  times,  keeping  his  left  side  next  to  it, 
uttering  prayers  and  exclamations  of  praise  as  he  goes. 

"  The  first  three  or  four  circuits  which  he  makes  is 
done  in  a  manner  representing  his  body  as  meeting 
with  resistance  or  opposition,  and  as  though  he  were 
determined  to  praise  God  and  perform  his  duty  in  spite 
of  all  opposition.  The  remainder  of  the  circuits  of  the 
Kaba  are  performed  more  quietly  and  easily,  indicating 
that  he  has  succeeded  in  overcoming  all  barriers  or 
resistance  which  has  been  thrust  in  his  way.  This 
circumambulation  is  claimed  by  Moslems  to  be  done  in 
imitation  of  the  worship  of  the  angels  going  in  proces- 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  249 

sion  around  a  temple  which  stood  in  the  garden  of 
Eden. 

The  black  stone  is  then  kissed  and  the  whole  body 
pressed  against  the  sacred  edifice.  They  say  when  Adam 
and  Eve  were  placed  in  the  garden  of  Eden  an  angel 
was  placed  in  the  garden  to  keep  watch  over  them ;  but, 
being  negligent  of  his  duty  in  allowing  Eve  to  trans- 
gress, the  angel  was  converted  into  a  stone  of  pure 
whiteness  and  thrown  from  Paradise  with  Adam  and 
Eve. 

After  the  flood  Gabriel  found  the  stone,  and  when 
Ishmael  and  Abraham  were  building  the  Kaba,  or 
National  temple,  at  Mecca,  he  brought  the  stone  to 
them  to  be  placed  in  the  wall.  They  further  say  that  the 
stone  has  been  turned  black  by  the  oft-repeated  kisses 
of  sinful  lips.  On  the  day  of  judgment  it  will  be 
restored  to  its  angelic  form  and  appear  as  a  witness  in 
behalf  of  faithful  pilgrims. 

After  which  (he)  the  pilgrim  returns  to  Mount  Ara- 
rat and  hears  a  sermon.  Then  he  makes  seven  runs 
between  the  Mounts  Safa  and  Marwah.  He  then  pelts 
Satan  with  stones  in  the  valley  of  Mina,  and  con- 
cludes the  services  with  a  great  sacrificial  feast.  On 
the  day  when  this  takes  place  at  Mecca,  many  sheep 
are  slaughtered  and  a  festival  called  the  Great  Beiran 
is  observed  throughout  the  whole  of  Mohammedan 
countries.  At  the  close  of  Ramadan  a  feast  is  also 
observed  throughout  the  country  called  the  lesser  Bei- 
ran. The  month  which  closes  the  Mohammedan  year 
is  chosen  as  the  month  of  pilgrimage. 

Many  pilgrims  who  travel  long  distances  by  land  fall 
victims  to  the  hardships  and  privations  incident  to  the 
journey  and  die  by  the  roadside. 


250  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

The  law  of  marriage  and  divorce  among  the  Arabs 
is  given  in  the  Koran.  Every  Mohammedan  is 
allowed  four  wives  at  a  time.  But  owing  to  the  diffi- 
culty of  maintaining  so  many  women  and  children,  the 
majority  of  the  poorer  classes  have  but  one  wife  at  a 
time.  The  women  are  said  to  be  very  quarrelsome,  and 
unless  their  lord  is  able  to  furnish  separate  apartments 
for  them,  the  poor  fellow  has  a  hard  lot  in  life,  and  his 
home  is  more  like  a  small  Gehenna  than  an  earthly 
paradise.  "We  learn  from  history  that  women  have 
from  a  very  remote  period  been  treated  as  mere  chat- 
tels by  the  Orientals.  No  doubt  this  is  true.  For  we 
find  all  their  habits  and  customs  to  have  been  handed 
down  to  them  through  the  long  past  centuries.  They 
live  just  as  their  forefathers  lived  centuries  ago.  The 
condition  of  women  among  the  Jews  and  nominal  Chris- 
tians in  the  Orient  is  but  little,  if  any,  better  than 
among  the  Mohammedans.  They  are  the  hewers  of 
wood  and  drawers  of  water,  and  are  regarded  as  being 
of  far  less  intrinsic  value  than  the  donkey.  They  dis- 
like to  see  their  women  praying  or  engaged  in  any  kind 
of  religious  services ;  nor  do  they  allow  them  to  go  into 
the  mosques  or  places  of  religious  worship  under  any  cir- 
cumstances. They  are  treated  in  all  departments  of 
life  as  inferiors,  having  only  such  rights  as  their  mas- 
ters may  see  fit  to  accord  them. 

The  practice  of  polygamy  and  the  custom  of  having 
concubines  (both  of  which  are  sanctioned  by  the  Koran), 
taken  in  connection  with  the  easy  law  of  divorce, 
destroys  all  peace  and  happiness  which  in  more  civ- 
ilized and  Christian  nations  grow  out  of  the  marriage 
relation.  Even  the  so-called  Christian  churches  and 
the  Jewish  synagogues  have  apartments  for  the  women, 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  251 

separated  from  the  congregation  of  men  by  lattice 
work.  I  found  this  the  case  in  a  Jewish  synagogue  of 
Armenians  which  I  visited. 

If  a  Mohammedan  becomes  offended  with  his  wife 
he  has  only  to  say  "  I  divorce  you,"  and  repeat  it  three 
times,  to  irrevocably  cast  her  off.  He  can  not,  if  he 
would,  take  her  to  wife  again  until  she  marries  another 
man  and  he  dies  and  she  becomes  a  widow;  he  can 
then  marry  her  again  if  they  will  to  do  so.  When 
divorced  in  this  manner,  however,  she  is  entitled  to 
retain  the  dowery,  or  purchase  money,  which  she 
received  from  him  before  marriage.  If,  however,  he 
treats  her  as  a  brute,  forcing  her  by  ill  treatment  to 
sue  for  a  divorce,  she  is  not  entitled  to  even  a  dower. 

The  custom  of  wearing  veils  is  not  confined  to  the 
Mohammedan  women,  but  is  universal  in  the  East; 
the  only  exception  being  the  peasant  and  the  Bedouin 
women.  An  Oriental  woman  would  regard  it  as  an 
affront  and  humiliating  to  be  allowed  to  mingle  in 
society  with  the  same  freedom  as  do  the  ladies  in  our  own 
country.  She  feels  and  thinks  in  this  way,  however, 
because  she  has  been  brought  up  from  infancy  to  look 
upon  it  in  that  light.  In  other  words,  she  has  been 
educated  to  regard  this  custom  in  this  way.  Writers 
and  tourists  have  given  various  reasons  for  this  custom. 
Some  say  the  women  of  the  East  wear  the  veil  as  a 
badge  of  modesty  and  innocency  and  protection  from 
insult.  Others  say  that  the  Mohammedans  require  their 
women  to  go  veiled  to  prevent  Christian  dogs  or  infidels 
from  looking  them  in  the  face.  If  I  am  to  judge  of  the 
beauty  of  those  who  wear  the  veil  by  those  who  do  not 
wear  it,  I  would  say  that  it  is  a  custom  or  invention  of 
the  women  themselves,  in  keeping  with  many  other 


252  TBAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

deceptive  arts  and  devices  not  confined  to  the  Orients. 
They,  like  advertised  women,  or  patent  medicines,  sell 
much  faster  and  at  higher  prices  when  the  purchaser  is 
kept  ignorant  of  the  ingredients  or  the  genuine  merit 
of  the  article  he  is  purchasing.  It  seems  to  be  a  univer- 
sal trait  or  ingredient  of  human  character  to  be  fond  of 
humbuggery.  They  bite  at  the  "humbug"  as  readily 
as  they  do  at  the  genuine  bait.  Half  the  world  are 
regular  "suckers"  anyway,  there  is  no  denying  the 
fact. 

Children  are  brought  up  in  strict  subjection  and 
implicit  obedience  to  the  will  of  the  parents.  Unlike 
many  Americans,  the  parents  regard  their  children  as 
children,  and  rear  them  as  children.  Our  American 
parents  (many  of  them  at  least)  raise  their  children,  i.  e., 
they  feed  and  clothe  them,  love  them  too  well  to  cor- 
rect them ;  turn  the  boys  loose  on  the  streets  to  learn 
to  chew  tobacco,  smoke  cigarettes,  talk  big  and  curse 
loud,  frequent  saloons,  gaming  houses,  etc.,  so  that 
by  the  time  the  boy  is  ten  or  twelve  years  old  he  is 
master  of  the  situation.  He  calls  his  father  "  the  old 
man  "  and  his  mother  "  the  old  woman."  Of  the  two 
extremes,  that  of  the  Arab  is  preferable.  The  Arab 
boys  make  sober,  law-abiding  men,  and  that  is  more 
than  can  be  said  of  very  many  of  our  fast  young 
Americans. 

Mohammed  believed  and  taught  his  people  that  God 
was  the  creator  of  all  things,  and  that  his  maintaining 
power  is  constantly  exercised  for  the  preservation  of 
the  world.  They  believe  he  uses  the  angels  as  instru- 
ments for  the  accomplishment  of  his  purpose,  and  that 
they  are  also  his  messengers  and  the  medium  of  com- 
munication or  meditators  between  God  and  man. 


AND  THE   HOLT    LAND.  253 

Therefore,  before  or  just  after  praying  they  salute 
Munkar,  the  recording  angel  of  their  good  deeds  who 
stands  upon  their  right  side,  and  Nekir,  the  recorder  of 
their  evil  deeds,  who  stands  upon  their  left  side. 

Throughout  Egypt,  Palestine,  and  Syria  the  tourist 
will  notice  that  every  Mohammedan  grave  has  a  stone 
set  on  each  side  or  at  the  ends.  These  are  placed  there 
for  the  recording  angels  to  sit  upon  the  night  after  the 
individual  is  buried.  The  Mohammedans  believe  the 
soul  remains  with  the  body  a  night  after  interment. 
The  ceremony  of  burying  the  dead  is  therefore  in 
accordance  with  this  belief.  If  the  Mohammedan  dies 
in  the  morning  the  body  is  buried  in  the  evening ;  but 
if  in  the  afternoon,  it  is  buried  the  next  morning.  As 
soon  as  death  occurs,  the  body  is  washed  and  mourned 
over  by  the  family,  and  the  professional  mourning 
women.  The  schoolmaster  then  reads  several  Suras  of 
the  Koran  by  the  sidetof  the  corpse.  The  ears  and 
nostrils  of  the  deceased  are  then  stuffed  with  cotton 
and  the  body  enveloped  in  the  white  or  green  winding 
sheet.  If  a  man,  his  turban  is  used  for  this  purpose. 

The  dead,  placed  in  a  shallow  wooden  coffin  or  litter, 
is  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  four  men ;  in  advance  are  a 
lot  of  children  carrying  palm  branches.  Behind  these, 
and  just  in  advance  of  the  coffin,  are  a  lot  of  very  old 
men,  blind  ones  preferred,  who  go  in  advance  of  the 
deceased  and  chant  verses  of  the  Koran,  such  as  "  There 
is  no  God  but  God.  Mohammed  is  the  embassador  of 
God.  God  be  gracious  to  him  (the  dead)  and  preserve 
him,  etc."  Immediately  following  the  bier  come  the 
female  relations  with  disheveled  hair,  sobbing  and  wail- 
ing aloud.  With  these,  or  immediately  behind  them,  are 
the  professional  mourners  who  cry  aloud  the  merits  of 


254  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

the  deceased.  These  hired  mourners  visit  the  grave 
for  days  or  weeks,  mourning,  wailing,  and  weeping  over 
the  grave  of  the  deceased,  fulfilling  a  contract.  They 
are  hired  to  do  this,  and  they  comply  with  their  agree- 
ment. That's  funny,  trading  in  hypocritical  moans  and 
crocodile  tears.  Woman's  tears  are  cheap. 

The  corpse  is  carried  to  the  'mosque  for  whose 
patron  saint  the  relatives  entertain  the  greatest  vener- 
ation, where  prayers  are  offered  on  behalf  of  the 
deceased.  After  the  exercise  of  prayers  and  chanting  of 
verses  of  the  Koran  have  been  gone  through  with,  the 
procession  is  formed  anew  and  the  body  carried  to  the 
family  cemetery,  where  it  is  interred  in  such  a  position 
that  its  face  is  turned  toward  Mecca. 

In  our  country  a  man  usually  desires  to  be  buried  by 
the  side  of  his  wife,  and  the  wife  by  the  side  of  the 
husband.  But  it  is  not  so  with  the  Mohammedans. 
The  separation  of  the  sexes  is  carried  out  in  the  dispo- 
sal of  their  dead,  as  it  is  when  living.  One  side  of  the 
family  vault  is  set  apart  for  the  males  and  the  other 
side  for  the  females.  For  the  most  part  these  family 
burial  places  are  natural  caves  in  the  limestone  hills,  or 
they  are  hewn  in  the  rock  in  the  form  of  a  small  room 
with  a  low  entrance  door ;  the  vaults  or  tombs  being 
hewn  into  the  side  walls  one  above  another. 

These  burial  houses  are  closed  by  a  stone  hewn  out 
in  the  s-hape  of  a  mill-stone,  which  is  set  on  edge  in  a 
groove  hewn  in  the  rock  in  front  and  for  some  distance 
to  one  side  of  the  entrance,  so  that  by  rolling  this  cir- 
cular stone,  it  can  be  made  to  cover  the  entrance,  or  it 
can  be  "  rolled  away"  from  the  entrance  and  thus  open 
the  door  to  the  vaults. 

The  Mohammedans  usually  place  the  bodies  of  their 


AND    THE    HOLY    LA.ND.  255 

dead  in  a  sitting  posture,  so  they  can  better  answer  the 
questions  propounded  to  them  by  Munkar  and  Nekir, 
who,  it  is  believed,  will  visit  the  dead  the  night  after 
interment  and  examine  them  as  to  their  proficiency  in 
the  creed  as  well  as  to  their  sins  of  omission  and  com- 
mission. If  the  poor  fellow  gives  a  good  account  of 
himself  his  soul  is  quietly  withdrawn  from  the  body, 
but  if  it  happens  that  he  is  not  well  posted  in  the 
teachings  of  the  Koran,  or  if  it  turns  out  that  he  has 
been  a  bad  fellow  during  life,  the  angels  beat  him  over 
the  face  and  head  with  iron  clubs  and  wrench  his  soul 
from  the  body  with  great  violence. 

I  do  not  mean  to  make  the  impression  upon  the 
mind  of  the  reader  that  all  Mohammedans  are  buried 
thus.  Many  of  the  poor  are  buried  in  stone  coffins, 
hewn  in  the  rock  on  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Others 
are  buried  high  up  on  the  bluff  sides  of  the  mountains. 
How  they  arrange  their  scaffolding  or  suspend  them- 
selves to  hew  these  shaft  tombs  in  the  sides  of  the 
mountains  I  am  unable  to  say.  I  have  counted  as 
many  as  fifteen  or  twenty  in  the  same  mountain,  as 
much  as  fifty  or  seventy-five  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
base  or  plain  below.  On  the  tops  of  the  highest  hills 
also,  throughout  all  Palestine,  the  white  dome-covered 
buildings  with  grated  windows  called  Welies  may  be 
seen ;  Welie  signifying  either  a  saint  or  his  tomb. 
Shreds  of  cloth  are  often  seen  suspended  from  the  rail- 
ing. The  same  may  be  seen  on  certain  trees  which  are 
considered  sacred. 

On  the  shore  of  Lake  Galilee  is  quite  a  good-sized 
tree  literally  covered  with  these  strips  of  cloth,  the  tree 
being  regarded  as  sacred. 

The  worship  of  saints  and  martyrs  was  taught  in 


256  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

connection  with  Mohammedanism  at  an  early  period. 
Pilgrimage  to  the  graves  of  the  dead  were  made  in  the 
belief  that  death  did  not  interrupt  the  possibility  of 
holding  converse  with  them.  Thus  the  tomb  of 
Mohammed  at  Medina  and  that  of  his  grandson,  Hosein, 
at  Kerbela,  soon  became  famous,  and  every  little  town 
and  village  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
country  soon  boasted  of  the  tomb  of  its  particular 
saint. 

All  this  seems  very  strange  to  the  individual  who  has 
never  studied  any  other  system  of  religion  than  his 
own.  I  would  further  say  that  Christianity,  unlike 
Mohammedanism,  is  progressive,  it  has  altered  its  type 
from  age  to  age;  it  has  had  its  night  of 
darkness.  Its  devotees  have  in  time  past  been 
obliged  to  submit  their  reason  to  unreasonable 
dogmas  and  blindly  receive  unintelligible  mysteries 
and  accept  without  daring  to  call  in  question 
doctrinal  notions  or  denominational  tenets,  no  matter 
how  repugnant  to  common  sense,  reason,  and  the  char- 
acter of  God  as  he  manifests  himself  in  the  light 
of  nature  and  revelation.  But  Christianity  is  moving 
onward  and  upward.  It  is  getting  away  from  dogmas 
and  getting  nearer  and  nearer  to  God. 

And  I  thank  God  with  all  my  heart  and  call  upon 
all  that  is  within  me  to  rejoice  and  bless  his  holy  name 
that  the  "  way  "  the  "  truth  "  and  the  "  light "  do 
not  lead  me  through  a  rigid  ritualism.  I  do  not  have 
to  walk  with  "gravel  in  my  shoes."  I  do  not  have  to 
"  cut  my  body  with  lances."  I  do  not  have  to  bring 
mvself  to  the  verge  of  the  grave  by  "  starvation  and 
thirst."  No  Rhamadans,  no  pilgrimages.  I  do  not 
have  to  "pray  at  the  street  corners."  I  do  not  have 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  257 

to  weep  and  moan  and  sigh,  day  in  and  day  out,  and  go 
through  the  world  looking  like  an  impersonation  of 
hopeless  despair  or  a  breathing  monument  of  woe. 

All  this  appears  very  strange  to  us  who  take  Christ 
as  our  great  example  and  his  teachings  as  the  rule  and 
guide  of  our  faith  and  practice;  us  who  regard  the 
New  Testament  teachings  as  a  revelation  by  which  we 
are  to  be  guided,  teaching  us  how  to  live  and  how  to 
die. 

"  Science  need  not  give  up  any  part  of  its  domain  to 
faith  nor  the  reign  of  natural  law  be  violated  by  a 
single  rent  in  the  vast  web  of  universal  order. 

"  No  innocent  pleasure,  no  natural  joy  of  life,  noth- 
ing beautiful  in  art,  literature,  society  or  home  need 
be  sacrificed  to  make  room  for  Christian  faith." 

Mohammed,  on  the  contrary,  requires  his  devotee  to 
bow  the  neck  to  the  yoke  of  submission  and  blind 
servitude.  Their  donkeys,  camels  and  buffaloes  are 
blindfolded  and  made  to  walk  round  and  round  from 
day  to  day  and  week  to  week  and  listen  to  the  wail- 
ings  of  unoiled  machinery  which  lifts  the  water  to  irri- 
gate their  parched  lands.  And  so  the  Mohammedan, 
blindfolded  morally,  socially  and  in  all  the  walks  of 
life,  rejects  progress,  science,  literature  and  blindly  sub- 
mits to  the  dictum  of  his  great  prophet  and  leader 
Mohammed,  as  revealed  in  the  Koran. 

But  I  promised  to  show  you  some  of  their  handsome 
mosques.  You  will  find  them  like  the  cathedrals, 
immense  structures  ;  in  fact,  their  magnitude  can  only 
be  realized  by  comparison,  and  you  will  have  to  do 
this  to  appreciate  what  I  shall  show  you  to-day.  The 
exterior  of  the  mosques  in  Cairo,  in  the  main,  are  sur- 
rounded by  and  are  joined  to  other  buildings,  so  that 


258  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

you  can  form  but  a  poor  idea  of  their  extent  or  interior 
magnificence  until  you  enter  them. 

In  construction  they  conform  to  the  general  style  of 
oriental  buildings,  i.  e.,  they  have  an  enclosed  open 
square  around  which  are  the  various  apartments.  Very 
many  of  them  are  magnificently  decorated.  Suppose 
we  drive  dowrj  this  grand  old  boulevard,  "  Mohammed 
Ali."  It  is  eighteen  hundred  and  fifty-seven  yards  in 
length,  and  leads  straight  to  the  foot  of  the  citadel.  At 
the  end  of  this  long  street  is  the  "  Place  Sultan  Hasan," 
with  two  large  mosques.  The  one  on  the  left  is  named 
after  an  order  of  dervishes,  Garni  Rifa-iyeth,  and  was 
erected  entirely  at  the  expense  of  the  mother  of  the 
ex-Khedive,  Ismail,  but  is  still  unfinished.  On  the 
right  rises  the  Garni  Sultan  Hasan,  the  "superb 
mosque."  This  mosque  is  regarded  as  the  finest  monu- 
ment of  Arabian  architecture  known.  It  was  begun  in 
the  year  1356  A.  D.,  or  the  year  557  of  the  Hegira. 

"  The  lofty  walls  with  their  shallow  niches  are  pierced 
with  six  or  seven  windows,  one  above  the  other.  The 
huge  gateway,  and  the  south  minaret  which  is  still  pre- 
served, present  a  majestic  appearance.  The  building,  as 
you  see,  is  in  the  form  of  an  irregular  pentagon,  on  the 
east  side  of  which  the  minarets  and  the  mausoleum 
form  symmetrical  projections.  The  windows  in  the  side 
are  disposed  somewhat  irregularly,  and  the  wall  ter- 
minates in  a  broad  cornice.  The  angles  of  the  edifice 
are  embellished  with  columns  built  into  the  wall,  with  a 
wreath  of  stalactites  at  the  top,  forming,  to  some  extent, 
a  new  order  of  capito^  According  to  an  Arab  legend, 
Sultan  Hasan  ordered  that  the  architect  who  drew  the 
design  and  superintended  the  erection  of  this  mosque 
should  have  his  hands  cut  off,  in  order  that  he  might 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  259 

not  erect  another  of  equal  splendor.  It  is  said  that  one 
of  the  minarets  was  overthrown  by  an  earthquake,  kill- 
ing three  hundred  persons. 

"  The  one  which  stands  furthest  south  is  the  high- 
est minaret  in  existence,  measuring  two  hundred  and 
eighty  feet." 

On  entering  this  mosque  we  first  pass  a  vestibule, 
then,  after  turning  first  in  one  direction  and  then 
in  another,  we  enter  the  open  court,  thirty-eight 
yards  in  length  by  thirty-five  in  width.  In  the 
center  of  the  court  is  a  fountain.  The  interior  of 
the  mosque  is  in  the  form  of  a  cross.  The  four 
arms  of  the  cross  are  roofed  with  lofty  painted 
vaulting.  At  the  extremity  of  one  of  the  arms  of  the 
cross  is  a  sanctuary,  from  which  the  Sultan  sometimes 
addresses  the  people.  To  the  right  of  this  is  the 
entrance  to  the  Makura,  an  interesting  and  majestic 
structure.  It  is  surmounted  with  a  dome  one  hundred 
and  eighty  feet  high,  and  contains  the  tomb  of  Sultan 
Hasan.  Around  the  walls  run  a  frieze  with  texts  from 
the  Koran  in  large  letters  intertwined.  Near  this  is 
the  mosque  of  Mohammed  Ali,  the  alabaster  mosque. 
This  building  was  begun  by  Mohammed  Ali,  the  founder 
of  the  present  Egyptian  dynasty,  on  the  site  of  a  palace 
which  was  blown  up  in  1824.  Its  plan  resembles  the 
magnificent  mosque  of  St.  Sophia  at  Constantinople. 

The  whole  interior  of  this  immense  mosque  is  lined 
with  slabs  of  alabaster,  which  gives  it  a  rich,  soft,  mel- 
low appearance,  unequaled  by  any  other  finish  I  have 
ever  seen.  At  the  southeast  corner  may  be  seen  the 
tomb  of  Mohammed  Ali.  The  lofty  graceful  minarets 
form  one  of  the  conspicuous  landmarks  of  the  city.  The 


260  TKAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

dome  roof  of  this  immense  edifice  rests  on  four  huge 
pillars.  The  ceilings  are  beautifully  painted. 

Minarets,  from  the  Arabic  word,  Menareh,  mean- 
ing "  a  signal,"  or  "signal  station,"  are  generally  built 
square  at  the  base,  but  as  it  rises  story  after  story  it  is 
changed  to  an  octagon  or  to  a  cylinder.  The  Oriental 
architects  seem  to  have  expended  their  utmost  skill  on 
these  imposing  towers.  The  highest  story  is  sometimes 
formed  of  pilasters  or  columns,  which  bears  a  roof  com- 
posed of  one  or  more  domes.  Within  them  are  wind- 
ing stairs  which  lead  to  the  galleries  of  the  different 
stories  and  to  the  balconies  which  run  around  on  the 
outside  near  the  top,  from  which  the  Muezzins  sing  out 
the  hour  of  prayer. 

They  vary  in  height  from  one  hundred  and.  fifty  to 
two  hundred  and  eighty  feet,  and,  like  the  spires  of  our 
modern  churches,  add  much  to  the  perspective  view  of 
a  city.  The  domes  in  like  manner  are  a  very  striking 
feature  of  oriental  houses,  especially  of  the  mosques 
and  mausolea.  It  is  no  unusual  thing  to  see  the  roof 
of  a  mosque  finished  off  with  ten  or  more  beautiful 
domes  varying  in  size  and  height. 

Mohammedan  mosques,  unlike  Christian  churches, 
have  no  regular  worshiping  congregations.  They  are 
usually  built  by  some  rich  Mohammedan  for  the 
use  of  Mohammedans  in  general.  Every  believer 
is  privileged  to  enter  them  at  all  times  and  per- 
form his  ablutions,  say  his  prayers  and  read  or 
hear  the  Koran  read.  The  weary  traveler  often  turns 
into  a  mosque  to  drink,  eat  a  lunch,  take  a  nap  and 
refresh  himself.  They  regard  their  mosques  as  holy 
places,  and  require  visitors  who  are  not  Mohammedans 
to  pull  off  their  shoes  and  substitute  slippers  which  are 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  261 

usually  kept  at  the  doors  by  Arab  boys  for  this  pur- 
pose. The  Arabian  women  are  kept  so  thoroughly  sep- 
arated from  the  men  that  a  young  man  never  has  the 
opportunity  of  selecting  a  wife,  or  paying  his  addresses 
to  the  young  lady  of  his  choice. 

When  an  Arab  gentleman  concludes  it  would  suit 
his  convenience  to  marry,  either  for  the  first  time  or  to 
add  another  wife  to  his  harem,  he  goes  to  a  relative  or 
to  a  woman  whose  profession  it  is  to  arrange  marriages, 
a  regular  skilled  match-maker  (reader,  you  see  they 
have  regular  match-makers  in  these  oriental  countries 
as  we  have  in  this),  and  gets  them  to  negotiate  with  the 
parents  of  some  ten  or-twelve-year  old  girl  to  secure 
her  for  a  wife.  The  matrimonial  agent  makes  all 
necessary  arrangements  and  agrees  with  the  parents 
of  the  child  (for  she  is  but  a  child  at  that  age)  what 
amount  is  to  be  paid  by  the  bridegroom,  which  amount 
is  usually  expended  in  the  bridal  outfit.  For  a  young 
girl  they  usually  pay  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  dollars.  For  a  widow,  about  half  that 
amount.  In  our  country,  you  know,  a  young  widow 
can  marry  off  in  half  the  time  a  young  girl  can,  i.  e., 
if  she  doesn't  get  too  frisky  and  advertise  her  desire 
to  marry  too  extensively.  It  would  seem  from  this 
that  they  pass  at  par  value,  and,  if  she  happens  to  be  a 
rich  widow,  at  a  premium  in  our  country,  but  they  sell 
at  half  price  among  the  Arabs. 

Two- thirds  of  the  amount  agreed  upon  is  paid  in 
advance,  which  fixes  the  engagement.  The  remaining 
one-third  is  not  required  to  be  paid  until  the  death  of 
the  husband,  or  when  she  is  divorced  against  her  will. 

Before  the  wedding  day  the  bride.is  dressed  in  gala 
attire  and  with  pomp  and  ceremony  conducted  to  the 


262  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

bath,  and,  if  one  is  to  judge  from  appearances,  this  is 
the  first  and  the  last  and  the  only  bath  the  poor  woman 
ever  takes.  This  procession  is  called  Zeffet  et  Hamrnans. 
It  is  headed  by  several  musicians  with  hautboys  and 
drums.  "No,  I  will  not  slander  music  by  calling 
the  loud  discordant  unearthly  noise  made  by  these 
Arabs  music,  or  the  performers  musicians."  After 
these  discord-makers,  come  the  relations  and  friends  of 
the  bride  in  pairs.  These  are  followed  by  a  lot  of 
young  girls;  behind  these  may  be  seen  the  bride 
covered  from  head  to  foot,  first  by  her  dress  and  veil 
over  which  is  spread  a  cashmere  shawl  with  a  small 
paste-board  cap  perched  on  the  top  of  her  head.  Another 
body  of  discorders  bring  up  the  rear.  Sometimes  behind 
these  other  friends  participate  in  the  ceremonies  by 
singing  and  clapping  their  hands.  The  singing  con- 
sists of  hideous  shrieking,  and  such  squealing  and 
yelling  one  seldom  hears.  This  ceremony  is  called 
Zagharit.  I  guess  it  is  properly  named.  Ten  days 
before  this  child-bride  is  to  be  married  she  is  kept 
secluded,  attended  only  by  her  mother  or  some  female 
member  of  the  family. 

The  marriage  ceremony  consists  of  forming  another 
procession  just  as  described  above.  This  procession 
moves  very  slowly,  the  parties  stepping  only  two  or 
three  inches  at  a  time.  It  is  very  novel  and  unique  to 
one  who  sees  or  participates  in  the  ceremony  for  the 
first  time.  The  procession  moves  so  very  slowly  that 
it  would  be  tiresome  even  to  a  stranger,  but  the  hilar- 
ity is  kept  up  by  frequent  libations  of  a  drink  com- 
posed of  a  mixture  of  alcohol  and  anise.  I  can't  say  it 
is  the  best  of  drinks,  but  still  it  helps.  It  was  my 
luck,  call  it  good  or  bad  as  you  please,  to  join  in  one  of 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  263 

these  processions  at  Nazareth,  and  of  course  I  was  too 
polite  to  refuse  the  offered  refreshments.  When  the 
procession  reaches  the  groom's  house  and  the  bride  has 
been  seated  (on  the  floor  of  course)  the  groom  comes 
in  and  removes  the  coverings  of  the  bride's  face,  even 
to  the  veil.  This  constitutes  them  man  and  wife,  and 
in  the  vast  majority  of  instances  this  is  the  first  time 
the  Arab  gentleman  ever  saw  the  face  of  this  one  of 
his  wives.  The  Mohammedan  law  allows  every  man 
to  have  four  Jegal  wives  at  the  same  time,  as  before 
stated.  And  it  may  be  the  groom  has  married  and 
divorced  dozens  of  wives.  I  was  told  at  Cairo  that 
some  of  the  resident  Arabs  of  that  place  had  married 
and  divorced  as  many  as  twenty  or  more  wives.  They 
seem  to  marry  for  the  fun  of  it. 

I  suppose  they  enjoy  the  novelty  and  fun  of  marry- 
ing, or  it  may  be  that  they  are  like  an  old  servant  once 
belonging  to  my  father  who  lost  his  wife  and  in  three 
weeks  thereafter  wanted  to  marry  another,  giving  it  as 
a  reasonable  justification  of  his  course  that  "  he  thought 
the  best  way  to  get  out  of  one  trouble  was  to  get  into 
another." 

But,  reader,  as  much  as  we  are  interested  in  this  old 
land  of  the  Pharaohs  and  in  this  cosmopolitan  city  of 
the  Caliphs,  time  admonishes  us  to  be  up  and  going,  so 
we  will  now  go  to  the  depot  and  be  off  for  Ismalia. 
Our  route  runs  through  the  land  of  Goshen.  "  And 
Pharaoh  spake  unto  Joseph,  saying,  Thy  father  and 
thy  brethren  are  come  unto  thee.  The  land  of  Egypt  is 
before  thee.  In  the  best  of  the  land  make  thy  father 
and  thy  brethren  to  dwell,  in  the  land  of  Goshen  let 
them  dwell." 

You  remember,  reader,  it  was  also  said  in  Exodus, 


264  TBAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

"  That  the  children  of  Israel  took  their  journey  from 
Succoth,  and  encamped  at  Etham.  And  the  Lord  spake 
unto  Moses,  saying,  Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel, 
that  they  turn  and  encamp  before  Pihahiroth,  between 
Migdol  and  the  sea,  over  against  Baalzephon,  before  it 
shall  ye  encamp  by  the  sea. 

"For  Pharaoh  will  say  of  the  children  of  Israel,  they 
are  entangled  in  the  land.  The  wilderness  hath  shut 
them  in."  Again,  in  Numbers,  we  read,  "That  the 
children  of  Israel  departed  from  Rameses  the  next  day 
after  the  Passover  and  pitched  their  tents  in  Succoth, 
and  from  Succoth  they  moved  to  Etham.  And  they 
removed  from  Etham  and  turned  again  unto  Pi-ha-hi- 
roth  before  Migdol.  And  from  this  part  they  departed 
and  passed  through  the  midst  of  the  sea  into  the  wilder- 
ness ;  and  went  three  days  journey  in  the  wilderness  of 
Etham  and  pitched  in  Marah." 

You  will  see  from  the  above  scriptures  that  the  bible 
mentions  a  considerable  number  of  places  situated  in 
the  land  of  Goshen.  By  the  aid  of  Egyptian  monu- 
ments several  of  these  sites  have  been  identified,  and  in 
this  way  the  approximate  boundaries  of  this  most  inter- 
esting land  have  been  determined.  Goshen  lay  east  of 
the  Damietta  river,  and  was  situated  between  the  resi- 
dences of  the  Pharaohs  and  Palestine.  In  the  route 
from  Palestine  to  Goshen,  no  mention  is  made  any- 
where in  the  bible  of  having  to  cross  the  Nile.  This 
piece  of  land  was  triangular  in  shape.  The  souther- 
most  point  of  the  triangle  was  probably  that  upon 
which  Heliopolis  was  located,  whence  the  district  seems 
to  have  extended  in  a  narrow  strip  as  far  as  Belbes. 
This  strip  of  fertile  land  is,  doubtless,  much  narrower 
now  than  it  was  when  occupied  by  the  children  of 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  265 

Israel,  for  the  ever  encroaching  sand  of  the  Arabian 
desert  has  been  making  inroads  on  it  for  over  three 
thousand  three  hundred  years,  since  Moses  conducted 
the  children  of  Israel  out  of  this  land. 

When  we  leave  Cairo  the  railroad  runs  nearly  due 
north  some  nine  or  ten  miles  through  the  highly  culti- 
vated fertile  valley  of  the  Nile  to  Kalyub,  a  station. 
The  minarets  of  the  mosque  of  Mohammed  Ali  and  the 
beautiful  range  of  Mokattam  hills  remain  in  sight  to 
this  point.  And  as  we  neared  the  station  the  pyramids 
of  Gizeh  come  in  full  view  off  to  our  left.  From  Kal- 
yub we  turn  northeast  and  run  through  a  beautiful, 
fertile  and  well  watered  country  shaded  by  numerous 
trees.  The  next  station  is  Nawa,  thirteen  miles  and  a 
half  from  Cairo,  and  the  next  Shibinel  Kanatir,  twenty 
miles  out.  One  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of  this 
station  is  the  ruined  site  of  Tellel  Yehudiyeth  ( hills  of 
the  Jews ).  It  was  here  Onia,  the  high  priest  of  the 
Jews  who  had  been  expelled  from  Palestine  about 
seven  hundred  years  after  the  exodus  by  the  Syrian 
party,  erected  a  temple  for  his  countrymen. 

When  Onia  was  opposed  in  this  undertaking  and 
was  told  that  no  true  temple  could  exist  anywhere  but 
at  Jerusalem,  he  answered  them  in  the  language  of 
Isaiah  xix,  18  :  "  In  that  day  shall  five  cities  in  the  land  of 
Egypt  speak  the  language  of  Canaan  and  swear  to  the 
Lord  of  hosts.  One  shall  be  called  the  city  of  destruc- 
tion." 

This  temple  stood  on  the  bank  of  the  Nile  and  is  said 
to  have  occupied  the  site  of  a  ruined  pagan  temple. 
"  Recent  excavations  made  in  this  locality  have  led  to 
the  discovery  that  a  town  stood  on  this  spot  as  early 
as  Eameses  II."  The  temple  erected  by  Onia  was 


266  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

built  after  the  model  of  King  Solomon's  temple.  This 
tended  materially  to  widen  the  breach  between  the 
Syrian  and  Egyptian  Jews.  In  the  excavations  made 
here  some  massive  substructures  of  oriental  alabaster 
and  a  number  of  interesting  mosaic  tiles  with  which 
the  walls  had  been  overlaid  and  on  which  were  not 
only  rosettes,decorations  and  figures,but  representations 
of  battles,  sacrificial  and  other  scenes,  have  been  found. 

After  leaving  this,  and  passing  one  other,  we 
reached  the  station  called  Belbes.  Here  we  are  near 
the  fresh  water  canal  which  was  probably  constructed 
by  the  early  Pharaohs.  It  is  positively  known  to  have 
existed  in  the  fourteenth  century  B.  C.  and  afterwards 
fell  into  ruin  until  it  was  again  utilized  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  present  fresh  water  canal.  Consider- 
able remains  of  this  ancient  canal  may  be  seen  near 
Belbes.  It  appears  to  have  been  about  fifty  yards 
wide  and  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  feet  in  depth. 
Strabo  and  Herodotus  both  speak  of  this  canal.  Her- 
odotus says  its  length  was  four  days  journey,  and  Pliny 
says  it  was  sixty-two  Roman  miles  in  length.  This 
canal  was  dug  from  the  Nile  near  Cairo  and  had  a 
branch  running  to  Lake  Timsah  ( crocodile  lake )  and 
either  another  or  the  same  canal  may  have  been  contin- 
ued on  down  and  emptied  into  Bitter  Lakes.  These  old 
canals  are  interesting,  as  they  show  us  how  the  children 
of  Israel  were  supplied  with  fresh  water ;  as  the  inhab- 
itants of  Ismaelia  are  now  supplied  in  a  similar  way  by 
a  fresh  water  canal  from  the  Rosetta  branch  of  the 
Nile. 

The  old  canal,  as  the  new,  was  not  only  a  means  of 
irrigating  and  fertilizing  that  part  of  Goshen  through 
which  it  passed,  but  then,  as  now,  was  used  by  small 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  267 

barges  for  the  transportation  of  the  produce  of  the 
country. 

From  Belbes  the  railroad  turns  north  to  Zakazik. 
My  readers  may  ask,  of  what  interest  can  this  be?  I 
answer,  you  should  remember  that  you  are  now  passing 
through  the  land  of  Goshen,  the  land  inhabited  by 
the  children  of  Israel  during  their  sojourn  in  the  land 
of  Egypt.  And  surely  a  description  of  this  land  can 
not  be  void  of  interest  to  the  bible  reader. 

Zakazik,  a  semi-European  town  of  about  forty  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  is  the  capital  of  one  of  the  Egyptian 
provinces.  It  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  very  fertile 
section  of  country,  well  watered  by  several  canals,  and 
connected  with  the  richest  districts  of  the  Delta.  The 
country  around  Zakazik  has  been  carefully  cultivated 
since  the  days  of  Mohammed  Ali,  i  e.,  since  1826. 
"  During  the  late  Confederate  war  the  production  of 
cotton  was  encouraged  and  carried  on  to  such  an  extent 
as  to  threaten  the  destruction  of  other  agricultural 
interests  of  the  country."  But  an  equilibrium  seems  now 
to  have  been  restored.  Many  Europeans  have  settled 
and  are  doing  business  here,  and  the  large  cotton  fac- 
tories which  have  been  established  here  give  the  place 
a  somewhat  European  appearance.  Fifty  thousand 
tons  is  said  to  be  about  the  average  annual  production 
of  cotton  in  this  section ;  .  all  of  which  I  presume  is 
manufactured  in  the  mills  at  Zakazik. 

Near  this  important  station  are  the  ruins  01  the 
ancient  temple  of  Bubastis.  The  large  dark  mounds  of 
debris  are  visible  from  the  station.  "Wherever  the 
site  of  an  ancient  Egyptian  town  or  city  has  been  dis- 
covered there  has  always  been  found  mounds  of  earth, 
rubbish,  broken  pottery,  etc."  Herodotus  tells  us  that 


268  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

Sabaco,  an  Ethiopian  monarch,  who  reigned  over  Egypt 
for  fifty  years,  never  caused  criminals  to  be  executed, 
but  sent  them  back  to  their  nati^je  places  for  the  pur- 
pose of  heaping  up  rubbish  to  raise  the  sites  of  towns. 
If  this  be  true  there  must  have  lived  a  lot  of  scamps 
about  old  Bubastis,  as  the  mounds  here  seem  to  be 
numerous  and  unusually  high.  I  think  the  height  of 
these  mounds,  however,  is  governed  by  the  age  of  the 
city  or  town  located  there.  The  ancient  Egyptians,  as 
now,  built  their  houses  with  sun-dried  brick,  which  in 
the  course  of  time  melt  and  crumble  down.  "When 
this  takes  place  the  heap  is  leveled  off  and  another 
house  reared  upon  the  same  site,  and  in  this  way  the 
altitude  of  a  locality  is  constantly  being  increased. 

Not  a  vestige  of  the  celebrated  Egyptian  temple 
called  Pi-Bast  is  now  to  be  seen.  Herodotus  says  there 
were  many  other  temples  larger,  and  more  costly,  but 
none  equal  to  this  for  beauty  of  form.  The  temple 
stood  in  the  middle  of  the  town  Bubastis,  and  the  site 
of  the  town  was  raised  from  time  to  time,  while  the 
temple  remained  at  the  same  elevation  upon  which  it 
was  built.  The  temple,  therefore,  could  be  seen  from 
every  part  of  the  town  which  surrounded  it,  that  is,  the 
temple  could  be  overlooked  in  whatever  part  of  town 
the  spectator  might  happen  to  be. 

The  temple  of  Sekhet  Bast  (the  goddess  worshiped 
here)  is  represented  as  a  woman  with  a  cat's  head.  She 
wears  on  her  head  a  disk,  over  the  convex  surface  of 
which  is  a  serpent,  and  holds  in  her  hand  the  scepter 
and  symbol  of  life.  This  was  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant and  celebrated  pilgrimage  shrines  in  lower  Egypt. 

The  same  bacchanalian  and  licentious  festivals  which 
were  celebrated  in  honor  of  Hathor,  the  goddess  of 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  269 

love,  the  great  mother  who  accords  her  divine  pro- 
tection to  all  earthly  mothers,  the  dispenser  of  all 
earthly  blessings,  etc.,  etc.,  also  took  place  here  with 
similar  magnificence  and  riotousness. 

In  Ezekiel  we  read  as  follows :  "  The  young  men  of 
Anen  (Heliopolis)  and  of  Pibeseph  (Bubastis)  shall  fall 
by  the  sword  and  these  cities  shall  go  into  captivity." 

Pi-Bast  is  represented  with  the  head  of  a  lion,  or  a 
cat,  and  the  cat  was  held  sacred  to  her.  And  Herodo- 
tus says  they  received  honorable  burial  at  Bubastis, 
where  hundreds  of  their  skeletons  have  been  found. 

Hundreds  of  thousands  of  the  ancient  Egyptians  used 
to  come  down  the  Nile  in  boats  at  certain  seasons  of  the 
year  to  attend  these  festivals.  "  One  historian  informs 
us  that  the  men  and  women  come  in  the  same  boats, 
and  that  the  women  make  a  noise  with  rattles,  and  the 
men  blow  pipes  during  the  whole  journey,  while  others 
sing  and  clap  their  hands.  All  of  the  people  except 
the  very  aged  and  the  children  made  the  pilgrimage. 
When  they  reached  the  sacred  city  of  Bubastis  they 
began  the  festival  with  great  sacrifices,  and  on  these 
occasions  drank  more  wine  than  during  the  whole  of 
the  rest  of  the  year." 

After  leaving  Zakazik  it  is  not  long  until  we  run  into 
the  desert.  And,  reader,  when  I  made  the  trip  from 
Zakazik  to  Ismailia,  quite  a  sand  storm  was  blowing, 
which  was  so  unbearable  that  we  were  compelled  to 
keep  the  windows  and  doors  of  the  cars  shut  closely, 
notwithstanding  it  was  an  oppressively  hot  day. 

I  think  these  siroccoes  must  be  of  frequent  occurrence 
on  the  deserts,  for  before  we  reached  Port  Said  we 
encountered  another  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day. 
We  often  hear  people  complain  of  the  dust  here  in  our 


270  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

Texas  towns,  especially  on  windy  days  in  summer  or 
autumn,  and  no  one  will  deny  but  that  at  times  it  is 
exceedingly  disagreeable.  But  even  when  at  its  worst 
it  is  not  comparable  in  the  way  of  actual  suffering 
inflicted  to  these  sand  storms  upon  the  desert  Ismai- 
lia.  While  the  Suez  canal  was  being  constructed,  this 
place  being  regarded  as  the  headquarters,  many  offi- 
cials and  traders  settled  here  and  built  up  a  beautiful 
little  town.  The  ground  has  been  reclaimed  from  the 
desert  and  there  are  now  many  beautiful  gardens  and 
orchards  to  be  seen,  making  in  reality  the  "  desert  to 
blossom  as  the  rose."  Modern  poets  speak  of  it  as  the 
"  wonder  of  the  desert." 

After  the  completion  of  the  canal  Ismailia  declined 
for  a  time,  but  it  is  now  a  flourishing  little  town.  It 
has  been  made  an  "  oasis  in  the  desert,  "  for  it  is  sur- 
rounded by  the  sands  of  the  desert  in  every  direction, 
except  on  the  south.  The  Vice  Koyal  or  governor  of 
Ismailia  has  a  beautiful  castle  here  with  lovely  grounds 
attached. 

It  is  situated  on  the  north  side  of  Lake  Timsah  (croc- 
odile lake),  and  when  we  leave  the  wharf  it  takes  some 
fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  to  reach  the  mouth  or 
entrance  of  the  canal.  The  hills  of  El  Gisr  cross  the 
course  of  the  canal  a  little  north  of  the  lake.  This  rise 
of  ground  is  more  like  a  plateau  than  like  hills,  its 
average  height  is  fifty -two  feet  above  the  level  and 
about  eighty-two  feet  above  the  bottom  of  the  canal, 
the  average  depth  of  the  canal  being  twenty-eight  or 
thirty  feet;  its  width  varies  from  two  hundred  to  three 
hundred  and  fifty  feet.  This  elevated  piece  of  ground 
makes  such  high  banks  to  the  canal  that  it  obstructs 


OD 
SZ 


H 
r- 
03 


AND   THE    HOLY   LAND.  271 

the  view  from  the  deck  of  the  little  steamer,  but  only 
for  a  short  time,  however. 

A  few  miles  further  up  the  canal  we  pass  across  the 
lake  Balah  and  soon  reach  Se  Kantara,  "  the  bridge," 
or  the  "  bridge  of  treasure,"  situated  on  a  high  ridge 
of  ground  between  two  lakes  and  forming  a  kind  of 
natural  bridge  or  highway  between  Africa  and  Asia. 
This  highway  was  cut  through,  and  a  ferry  across  the 
canal  is  now  established.  Beyond  this  we  enter  lake 
Menzaleth,  through  one  side  of  which  the  canal  is  cut 
in  a  straight  line  from  Port  Said.  Distance  from 
Ismailia  to  Port  Said  (canal  route)  is  about  fifty  miles. 
In  this  distance  we  met  some  six  or  eight  large  ocean 
steamers.  It  looks  strange  to  see  these  huge  leviathans 
of  the  ocean  steaming  along  a  narrow  channel  through 
a  seemingly  unbounded  desert. 

Arrived  at  Port  Said  Saturday,  April  10th,  late  in 
the  afternoon,  being  very  much  fatigued.  The  day  has 
been  very  warm,  and  the  trip  from  Cairo  to  this  place 
upon  the  whole  very  disagreeable.  About  3  p.  M. 
we  were  driven  from  the  deck  of  our  little  steamer  to 
the  cabin  below,  a  sand  storm  as  stated,  the  sand  being 
driven  by  the  wind  with  such  force  that  it  was  intol- 
erable and  drove  the  passengers  to  the  saloon  of  the 
little  steamer.  As  before  intimated,  they  seem  to  be 
very  frequent  in  this  desert  country. 

"  Port  Said  owes  its  origin  to  the  Suez  canal."  It 
is  situated  on  the  east  end  of  an  island,  which  is  a  nar- 
row strip  of  land  separating  lake  Menzaleth  from  the 
Mediterranean  sea. 

"The  officials  connected  with  the  management  of 
the  canal  reside  here."  It  has  a  population  of  seven- 
teen thousand,  which  includes  six  thousand  Europeans, 


272  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

the  French  element  predominating.  The  harbor  dredge 
boat  occupies  an  area  of  five  hundred  and  seventy  acres, 
and  has  been  excavated  by  dredge  boats  to  a  depth  of 
twenty-six  feet.  The  harbor  is  protected  by  two  massive 
piers,  one  running  from  the  land  north  into  the  sea  an 
English  mile,  the  other  running  northeast  one  and  a 
half  miles.  Their  starting  point  from  the  land  are  four- 
teen hundred  and  fortyyards  apart.  But  they  approach 
each  other  until  at  the  outer  extremities  they  are 
only  seven  hundred  and  seventy  yards  from  each  other. 
The  navigable  entrance  between  the  ends  of  these  piers 
is  marked  by  the  buoys,  which  are  lighted  at  night ;  it  is 
only  one  hundred  or  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  in 
width.  One  of  the  dangers  of  the  harbor  is  being 
choked  with  Nile  mud,  which  is  deposited  on  the  Pelu- 
siac  coast  by  a  current  in  the  Mediterranean  constantly 
flowing  from  the  west.  This  current  sweeps  along  the 
northern  coast  of  Africa  like  the  Gulf  stream. 

I  copy  the  following  written  while  sitting  on  the  ver- 
anda of  the  hotel  facing  the  harbor:  Twenty"  large 
ocean  steamers  are  now  anchored  in  the  harbor  coaling 
and  taking  on  or  discharging  cargoes.  Several  nation- 
alities are  represented.  Besides  these  J  count  fifty  or 
more  coasting  steamers  of  smaller  size.  The  sidewalks 
and  even  the  central  part  of  the  streets  of  this  place 
are  crowded  with  Arabs  and  people  of  every  imagin- 
able nationality,  offering  their  wares,  fruits,  meats, 
and  vegetables  for  sale.  Dragomen  with  their  donkeys 
and  dragomen  with  their  goats,  donkey  boys  and  pack 
mules,  strange  tongues  fill  the  air  and  impress  one  with 
the  new  and  strange  things  around  him.  The  houses 
of  Port  Said  are  built  of  stone  or  sun-dried  brick  and  stuc- 
coed, many  frescoed,  all  covered  with  tiling  and  made 


o 

m 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  273 

fire-proof.  The  streets  are  wide,  the  storehouses  or 
shops  are  for  the  most  part  small  and  filled  with  goods 
and  wares  gathered  from  every  country  under  the  sun. 

I  copy  further  from  memorandum  book  as  follows  : 
Gibraltar  has  its  forty  thousand  inhabitants,  Naples  its 
million  and  a  half,  massive  Rome  five  hundred  thou- 
sand Brindici forty  thousand,  old  Patras  forty  thousand, 
Athens  eighty-five  thousand,  Alexandria  two  hundred 
thousand,  Cairo  three  hundred  thousand ;  in  addition 
to  this,  Italy,  Greece  and  Egypt  are  densely  populated, 
and  yet  I  have  not  seen  where  a  house  has  been  burned, 
nor  have  I  seen  a  man  under  the  influence  of  intoxica- 
ting drinks  among  all  these  people.  Whereas  in 
America  the  saloon  constitutes  one  of  the  first  business 
houses  erected  at  every  crossroad  town.  A  blacksmith 
shop,  post  office,  saloon  and  a  retail  dry  goods  store  con- 
stitute or  make  up  the  neighborhood  town,  and  the 
curse  of  drinking  sends  its  baneful  effects  into  hundreds 
of  otherwise  happy  homes,  dragging  hundreds  and 
thousands  of  our  men,  possessing  grand,«noble  natures, 
down  to  shame  and  ignominy  and  moral  death. 

On  board  steamer  Aurora,  a  large,  substantial  vessel, 
finely  finished  on  the  interior,  with  nice  accommoda- 
ting officers,  quiet  in  their  manners  and  gentlemanly  in 
their  deportment.  These  Austrians  are  a  superior  peo- 
ple. We  expect  to  cast  anchor  off  the  coast  of  the 
Holy  land  by  daylight  tomorrow  morning,  in  which 
land  we  expect  to  spend  at  least  one  month  in  the  sad- 
dle, riding  from  place  to  place,  visiting  the  ruins  of 
its  towns  and  cities,  the  names  of  which  are  familar  to 
every  lover  of  that  God -given  treasure,  the  Holy 
Bible. 


TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE   HOLY    LAND. 

HOEADER,  the  human  mind  is  so  constituted  that 
-L\>  pictures  of  scenes,  places,  objects,  etc.,  once 
impressed  upon  it,  remain  perpetually  photographed 
thereon ;  and  by  the  power  of  speech  and  the  use  of 
that  faculty  of  the  mind  called  "  imagination  "  dupli- 
cates of  these  pictures  (more  or  less  imperfect,  I  con- 
fess) may  be  conveyed  from  mind  to  mind,  as  the 
photographer  prints  many  pictures  from  one  and  the 
same  negative. 

I  trust  in  reading  the  foregoing  pages  you  have  not 
only  learned  many  useful  facts,  but  that  I  have  also 
been  enabled  to  impress  upon  your  mind  scenes  of 
countries,  cities,  old  ruins,  and  monuments  of  antiquity, 
that  the  recollection  of  them  may  be  a  source  of 
pleasure  to  yo*u  in  the  years  to  come. 

Now,  if  you  will  stand  with  me  on  the  deck  of  our 
steamer  as  she  lies  at  anchor  in  the  quiet  blue  waters  of 
the  Mediterranean  off  the  coast  of  Palestine  opposite 
the  old  far-famed  city  of  Joppa,  I  will  try  to  draw  the 
outlines  of  a  picture  upon  the  trestle  board  of  your 
mind,  which  I  trust  may  never  be  dimmed  during  your 
probationary  pilgrimage  in  this  life.  Yea,  more.  Let 
me  ask  our  common  Heavenly  Father  to  so  impress  the 
picture  of  this  earthly  Canaan  upon  your  mind  and 
heart  that  it  will  only  fade  and  pass  away  when 
replaced  by  a  vision  of  the  brighter  and  more  glorious 
heavenly  Canaan  above. 

274 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  275 

The  mellow  gray  dawn  of  morning  is  just  being 
brightened  and  lit  up  with  the  roseate  tints  of  the 
rising  sun  as  it  climbs  slowly  but  grandly  and  majestic- 
ally over  the  Judean  hills.  See  how  those  grand  old 
mountains  of  Judah  and  Benjamin  take  shape  and 
form  a,nd  reflect  back  a  cheery  greeting  as  their  hoary 
summits  are  kissed  by  the  first  rays  of  the  rising  sun. 

Now  the  darkness  and  gloom  which  precedes  the 
dawn  of  day  has  been  dispelled  and  we  have  spread 
out  before  us  this  bright  beautiful  spring  morning  the 
land  of  Palestine,  the  Holy  Land,  the  Land  of  Promise. 

This  is  the  land  of  the  patriarchs,  the  land  of  prophets 
and  prophecy,  the  land  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob  ; 
the  land  which  gave  us  a  Savior,  a  Redeemer ;  the 
land  that  gave  birth  to  Him  "  who  spoke  as  never  man 
spake;"  the  land  that  gave  to  man  knowledge  of  the 
true  and  living  God ;  the  land  that  gave  to  man  God's 
revelation  of  himself  ;  a  revelation  that  will  continue 
to  unfold  and  reveal  new  truths,  new  promises,  and  new 
comforts  to  fallen  man  till  time  shall  be  no  more. 

One  has  said  of  this  land  that  u  its  very  hills  and 
mountains,  its  rocks,  rivers  and  fountains,  are  symbols 
and  pledges  of  things  far  better  than  themselves.  It 
is  true  it  is  now  a  land  of  solitary  hills,  plains  and 
mouldering  ruins ;  these,  however,  vindicate  the  truth 
of  God  and  rebuke  the  pride  of  man.  It  is  a  land 
where  trees  speak  parables  and  brambles  allegories, 
while  little  sparrows  sing  hymns  to  the  happy,  and 
lilies  give  lessons  of  comfort  and  wisdom  to  the  poor/' 

Those  grand  old  mountains  standing  like  so  many 
fortresses  bound  on  the  east  the  valley  of  Sharon. 
That  little  village  sitting  on  the  water's  edge  and 
reclining  as  one  asleep  on  the  side  of  the  hill,  which 


276  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

gradually  rises  to  the  height  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
or  more  feet,  is  the  old,  old  city  of  Joppa. 

As  you  run  your  eye  up  the  coast,  seemingly  near 
by  we  see  the  old  time-honored  mount  of  Elijah, 
Mount  Carmel,  projecting  its  rugged  crest  into  the 
valley.  Now  turn  south,  and  in  the  distance  you  see 
the  old  city  of  Gaza. 

Tlfese  are  the  landmarks  of  the  great  valley  of 
Sharon,  the  former  home  of  the  Philistines,  with  whom 
the  children  of  Israel  had  so  many  hard-fought  battles 
in  the  years  long  gone  by. 

This  is  the  land  of  Israel,  the  chosen  people  of  God ; 
the  land  of  which  the  Lord  said  unto  Abraham,  the 
father  of  the  faithful,  "Arise,  walk  through  the  land, 
in  the  length  of  it,  and  in  the  breadth  of  it,  for  I  will 
give  it  unto  thee.  For  all  the  land  which  thou  seest  to 
thee  will  I  give  it  and  to  thy  seed  forever." 

If  this  is  to  be  understood  literally,  it  has  yet  to  be 
fulfilled ;  and  many  theologians  and  bible  scholars  so 
think,  and  believe,  that  the  Jews  will  yet  be  restored 
to  the  promise  land  again,  as  before,  and  dwell  together 
there  as  a  distinct  nationality.  Others  perhaps  with 
more  consistency  interpret  this  and  other  like  prophe- 
cies by  the  aid  of  the  scriptures  as  recorded  in  the  3d, 
llth  and  other  chapters  of  the  Hebrews ;  and  also  in  the 
3d  chapter  of  Galatians,  as  not  referring  to  a  literal  res- 
toration of  this  people  to  *he  land  of  Palestine.  I  leave 
these  vexed  questions  for  the  D.  D.'s  to  settle. 

This  is  Palestine.  Take  the  landscape  on  your  mind 
and  carry  it  with  you  all  through  the  remaining  years 
of  your  life.  For  it  has  witnessed  scenes  nowhere  else 
enacted  on  this  earth  of  ours. 

Here  come    the  Oriental  hacks   (little  boats),  and 


AND   THE    HOLY   LAND.  277 

among  them  one  which  has  floating  from,  its  bow  the 
stars  and  stripes,  the  flag  of  our  country,  which  was 
hailed  with  hats  off  by  a  hearty  hurrah.  Those  who 
have  never  been  out  of  their  native  land  can  scarcely 
conceive,  or  imagine,  with  what  pleasure  they  will 
greet  the  flag  of  their  country  when  traveling  in 
foreign  lands. 

Our  company  had  read  of  the  dangerous  coast  of 
Palestine,  especially  the  danger  of  attempting  to  go 
ashore  in  small  boats  when  the  sea  was  rough.  The 
Mediterranean  is  like  a  bad-tempered  woman,  it  can  get 
up  a  little  storm  at  any  time  and  on  short  notice.  All 
along  the  coast  large  boulders  extend  out  into  the 
sea  covered  to  various  depths  with  the  restless 
water,  against  which  vessels  are  dashed  to  pieces  dur- 
ing the  prevalence  of  the  frequent  storms  which  occur 
here. 

Less  than  twelve  months  preceding  our  visit,  some 
six  or  eight  vessels  were  driven  ashore  here  during  a 
storm  and  dashed  to  pieces  against  these  hidden  bould- 
ers, and  many  lives  lost.  But  now  the  sea  is  as  calm 
and  quiet  as  heart  could  wish.  Mr.  Kolla  Floyd  and 
his  corps  of  assistants  came  aboard,  took  charge  of  our' 
baggage,  and  leading  off  in  the  little  boat,  unfurling  the 
American  flag  to  the  breeze,  conducted  our  grateful 
party  ashore.  We  landed  in  the  custom-house,  in  the 
old  city  of  Joppa,  which  lies  nestled  on  the  shore  like  a 
sleeping  infant  in  the  arms  of  maternal  love,  young  in 
size,  but  old  in  history  and  fame. 

You  will  find  a  great  many  of  the  names  of  these  old 
cities  spelled  and  pronounced  differently  by  different 
people  and  at  different  periods.  For  instance,  we  find 
this  place  spelled  Jaffa,  Jaffe,  Joppa,  Japho,  and  now 


278  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

by  the  natives  Yafa.  A  pretty  little  town  of  fifteen 
hundred  or  two  thousand  inhabitants,  it  lies  at  the 
foot  of  a  rock  one  hundred  and  sixteen  feet  in  height. 
Except  some  modern  buildings  erected  by  Europeans, 
the  houses  are  low,  one-story,  flat-roofed  structures, 
built  of  tufa  stone,  a  soft  or  porous  stone  formed  by 
depositions  from  water,  usually  calcareous.  The  streets 
are  narrow,  crooked,  and  filthy  beyond  description. 
The  old  town  itself  is  of  more  interest  to  the  traveler 
than  the  scriptural  localities  pointed  out,  on  account  of 
the  uncertainty  which  pertains  to  the  latter. 

When  you  have  passed  through  the  custom-house 
where  you  have  to  go  and  exhibit  your  baggage,  you 
have  to  walk  up  the  hill,  on  the  sloping  side  of  which 
the  town  is  built  to  the  hotel,  there  being  no  hacks, 
carriages,  or  omnibuses  kept  for  the  accommodation  of 
travelers  as  in  our  country.  Even  baggage  is  carried 
from  the  custom-house  to  the  hotel  on  the  backs  of  a 
class  of  men  who  supply  the  place  of  baggage  wagons, 
drays,  etc.  When  the  baggage  of  our  company  was 
being  carried  to  the  hotel  I  saw  one  of  these  men  loaded 
with  four  steamer  trunks,  a  greater  burden  than  we 
would  impose  upon  a  mule.  The  only  wonder  is,  how- 
ever, that  they  don't  make  the  women  do  this  work,  as 
every  other  kind  of  hard  labor  and  degrading  occu- 
pation seems  to  be  imposed  upon  the  women. 

Leaving  the  hotel  we  follow  our  guide  who  will  con- 
duct us  to  the  reputed  site  of  Simon,  the  tanner's 
house.  We  go  back  down  the  street  we  came  up  from 
the  quay,  until  we  reach  a  small  open  square  which  is 
called  here  the  bazaar  or  market  place ;  here  we  find 
old  Arab  women  sitting  around  on  the  ground  with 
their  baskets  of  vegetables,  fruits  or  wares  before 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  279 

them,  men  with  their  donkeys  or  camels  loaded  with 
the  products  of  the  country,  children  and  dogs,  making 
a  motley  set.  On  the  north  side  of  the  plaza  we  enter  a 
narrow  street — we  would  call  it  an  alley — which  leads 
off  in  a  northwest  direction,  a  gate  once  stood  here  at 
the  entrance  of  this  street,  called  the  Jerusalem  Gate. 
This  street  is  about  ten  feet  in  width,  very  crooked,  and 
reeking  with  filth.  It  is  enough  to  take  all  the 
romance  out  of  the  tourist  to  go  along  a  street  like 
this,  I  am  sure.  This  one  we  find  crowded  from  one 
end  to  the  other  with  old  broken  down  Arab  men,  old 
hags  of  women,  half-clad  and  nude  children,  dogs, 
donkeys,  and  all  sorts  and  sizes  of  beggars.  These 
Arabs  seem  to  think  they  are  complimenting  a  stranger 
by  asking  for  Backshee.  If  in  truth  it  is  so  intended, 
they  are  the  most  complimentary  people  to  be  any- 
where found.  At  the  far  end  of  the  street  we  come  to 
a  t\vo-roomed  one-story  building  situated  at  the  water's 
edge.  This  is  a  Latin  hospice  and  was  founded  in  1654, 
and  from  that  period  tradition  points  it  out  as  occupy- 
ing the  site  of  the  house  of  Simon  the  "tanner."  The 
scriptures  read  as  follows :  "  And  now  send  to  Joppa 
and  call  for  one  Simon  whose  surname  is  Peter.  He 
lodgeth  with  one  Simon,  a  tanner,  whose  home  is  by  the 
seaside."  This  hospice  is  by  the  seaside,  as  are  many 
other  houses  all  along  the  coast  here.  This,  however, 
and  a  tradition  since  1654,  leaving  a  silent  period  of 
nearly  sixteen  hundred  years  before  that  time,  is  all  the 
evidence  furnished  of  its  being  Simon's  house. 

We  will  go  through  the  east  room  to  the  rear  of  the 
house,  up  a  rude  stone  stairway,  to  the  top,  where,  if  it 
was  Simon's  house,  Peter  fell  into  a  trance  and  saw 
heaven  open,  and  a  certain  vessel  descending  unto  him, 


280  TRAVELS   IN  EGYPT 

as  if  it  had  been  a  great  sheet  knit  at  the  four  corners 
and  let  down  to  the  earth.  "  Wherein  were  all  manner 
of  four-footed  beasts  of  the  earth,"  etc. 

The  rear  of  this  building  adjoins  a  light-house  and 
from  the  top  of  the  building  we  get  a  very  pretty  view 
of  the  sea.  A  large  fig  tree  which  has  grown  up  near 
the  wall  of  the  house  spreads  its  branches  over  the 
roof,  which,  if  it  were  there  when  Peter  was  on  the 
house  top,  afforded  him  a  nice  shady  place  to  take  his 
noonday  nap  while  waiting  for  dinner,  as  he  says  he 
was. 

I  call  your  attention  to  the  door  sils  and  lintel  of  the 
rear  door  of  the  room  through  which  we  passed  in 
going  to  the  rear  of  the  building.  They  are  of  fine 
marble.  The  door  sill  is  worn  down  more  than  half 
through  its  thickness  in  the  center.  It  is  said  these 
two  slabs  of  marble  are  all  that  is  left  of  the  original 
house  of  Simon. 

If  his  house  was  constructed  of  material  like  this  and 
corresponded  with  these  two  slabs,  Simon  must  have 
resided  in  a  fine  dwelling,  and  lived  sumptuously  every 
day,  and  I  expect  he  did,  as  Peter  was  lodging  with 
him  for  a  few  days.  Brother  Peter,  you  know,  was  a 
preacher  of  the  gospel  and  was  stopping  in  Joppa,  and 
it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  he  would  stop  where 
he  could  get  the  best  accommodation.  This  custom 
prevails  to  a  considerable  extent,  even  to  the  present 
day,  you  know. 

Somewhere  along  this  coast,  near  or  at  all  events 
not  far  from  where  we  now  are,  the  cedar  and  fir  wood 
cut  on  Mount  Lebanon  and  used  in  building  Solomon's 
temple  was  landed,  being  brought  from  Lebanon  to 
Joppa  in  floats  and  carried  overland  to  Jerusalem. 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  281 

Here  Jonah,  son  of  Amittai,  got  aboard  a  vessel,  paid 
his  passage,  full  rates,  and  tried  to  get  over  to  Tarshish. 
The  Lord  had  told  him  to  go  to  Ninevah,  that  great 
city,  and  cry  against  it,  but  Jonah  fled  from  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Lord. 

That  was  a  strange  idea  those  ancient  people  had. 
They  seemed  to  think  if  they  went  from  a  country 
having  a  certain  form  of  religion  they  could  leave 
behind  them  all  religious  obligations,  and  be  free  to 
adopt  the  system  of  religion  of  the  country  unto  which 
they  went.  Jonah  thought  by  running  away  from 
Palestine  and  going  over  to  Tarshish  that  he  could 
get  away  from  God  and  the  duty  which  God  required 
at  his  hands.  But  it  is  a  good  deal  the  same  way  now. 
A  Baptist  will  move  into  a  Methodist  neighborhood 
and,  Chameleon-like,  turn  Methodist,  or  a  Methodist 
under  like  conditions  will  be  a  Baptist,  or  Presbyterian, 
or  a  reformer,  or  something,  or  anything,  that  happens 
to  be  popular  in  that  immediate  neighborhood.  Their 
religious  faith  seems  to  be  very  unstable  and  latitudin- 
arian  in  its  nature,  to  say  the  least — made  out  of  India 
rubber,  I  guess  j  it's  convenient,  at  all  events. 

But  the  Lord  sent  out  a  great  wind  into  the  sea,  and 
there  was  a  mighty  tempest  in  the  sea,  so  that  the  ship 
was  like  to  be  broken,  etc.  Fear  seized  the  crew,  "and 
every  man  prayed  to  his  god."  People  do  the  same 
now.  Let  death  come  and  stare  a  man  in  the  face  and 
you  will  see  him  calling  upon  God  to  help  him  and  save 
him,  if  he  never  prayed  before.  Then  they  lightened 
the  ship  by  throwing  the  wares,  etc.,  overboard.  But 
this  didn't  seem  to  do  any  good;  so  they  finally  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  a  disaster  sent  upon 
them  for  the  evil-doing  or  sin  of  some  one  on  board 


282  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

the  vessel.  So  they  cast  lots  and  the  lot  fell  upon 
Jonah,  and  at  his  own  request  they  cast  him  into  the 
sea,  and  the  sea  ceased  from  its  raging.  Jonah  was 
evidently  sea-sick  and  didn't  care  whether  he  lived  or 
died,  so  he  told  the  sailors  '  to  take  him  up  and  cast  him 
overboard.'  The  scriptures  further  tell  us  that  the  Lord 
prepared  a  great  fish  to  swallow  up  Jonah  "  and  Jonah 
was  in  the  belly  of  the  fish  three  days  and  three 
nights."  The  strange  thing  about  that  event  to  me  is 
how  that  fish  could  swim  around  for  three  days  and 
nights  with  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  or  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  pounds  of  sea-sickness  in  his  stomach 
before  thro  wing  it  up.  I  couldn't  keep  even  half  a 
pound  of  anything  in  mine  when  I  was  sea-sick.  Jonah 
tells  us  that  he  was  in  very  uncomfortable  quarters 
during  that  time  and  that  he  did  some  responsible 
praying.  I  have  often  wondered  if  Jonah  in  this 
instance  was  not  like  the  majority  of  mankind,  put  off 
praying  until  he  got  into  trouble  or  danger.  I  guess 
those  three  days  and  nights  were  the  longest  days  and 
nights  of  Jonah's  life,  and  when  that  fish  vomited  him 
up  on  dry  land  Jonah  was  a  changed  man.  He  was 
very  willing  to  do  now  what  God  commanded  him  to 
do  at  first.  If  God  was  to  punish  his  people  in  these 
days  as  he  did  Jonah  for  disobedience,  I  wonder  how 
manv  of  us  would  be  riding  around  in  the  Mediterra- 

•/  o 

nean  or  the  Atlantic  in  our  fish  steamers? 

The  site  of  the  former  residence  of  Dorcas,  or  Tabi- 
tha,  whom  Peter  raised  from  the  dead,  as  recorded  in 
the  scriptures,  is  pointed  out,  although  the  traditional 
site  dates  back  to  a  much  more  ancient  period. 

A  church  called  St.  Peter's,  located  on  the  south  side 
of  the  town,  was  said  as  early  as  the  eighth  century  to 


AND  THE   HOLY    LAND.  283 

occupy  the  site  of  her  house.  Some  old  walls  also  on  the 
east  side  of  the  town  are  now  shown  the  tourist  as  being 
the  site  of  her  house.  The  truth  is,  it  is  not  now  known 
where  the  house  of  Simon,  the  tanner,  or  the  house  of 
Tabitha  was  located.  As  before  stated,  there  is  but 
little  of  interest  to  be  seen  at  Joppa  except  the  site  of 
the  old  city  itself,  which  was  given  to  the  tribe  of  Dan 
in  the  division  of  the  land  by  Joshua.  "When  the  king- 
dom was  established  under  David,  it  became  the  port 
of  Jerusalem. 

As  we  leave  Joppa  for  Jerusalem,  which  we  do  in 
second-grade  hacks  kept  for  the  purpose  by  tourists' 
agents,  we  drive  through  beautiful  gardens  of  orange, 
lemon,  pomegranate,  apricot  and  other  tropical  fruits, 
until  we  reach  the  plain  of  Sharon.  These  orchards 
can  only  be  seen  through  the  gaps  and  breaks  in  the 
high  cactus  hedge  which  flank  each  side  of  the  road  for 
some  distance  out  from  the  town,  that  is,  from  one  and 
a  half  to  two  miles. 

These  orchards  and  gardens  are  irrigated  by  means 
of  water-wheels  or  water-mills,  as  you  may  please  to 
call  .them  water  being  found  everywhere  at  a  moderate 
depth. 

After  passing  these  orchards  and  gardens  we  come 
into  the  lovely  valley  of  Sharon,  which  in  the  spring,  the 
season  I  passed  through  it,  is  covered  with  a  variety  of 
wild  flowers ;  the  rose  of  Sharon  being  in  great  pro- 
fusion. To  see  this  valley  at  this  season  of  the  year  you 
do  not  wonder  that  Solomon  made  it  a  theme  of  song, 
for  it  is  one  of  nature's  flower  gardens. 

The  valley  is  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  miles 
Vide,  reaching  from  the  sea  east  to  the  foot  of  the 
mountains  of  Judah  and  Benjamin.  Soon  after 


284  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

entering  the  valley  we  pass  on  the  right  some  exten- 
sive modern  brick  buildings.  This  is  a  Jewish  agri- 
cultural school,  established  by  Charles  Netler,  of  Paris, 
France,  in  1869. 

Leaving  this  we  pass  on  the  left  a  modern  Arab  vil- 
lage, thought  to  be  on  the  site  of  ancient  Hazarshual. 
The  village  is  situated  on  an  eminence  or  sandy  ridge 
in  the  valley.  This  is  where  Sampson  lived  when  he 
took  revenge  on  the  Philistines  by  catching  three  hun- 
dred foxes  and,  tying  their  tails  together  two  and.  two 
and  putting  a  fire-brand  between  them,  and  set  them 
on  fire  and  turned  them  loose  in  the  ripe  wheat  fields 
of  the  Philistines  and  burned  them  up.  This  looks  to 
us  as  a  bad  thing  for  Sampson  to  have  done,  but  he 
said  :  "  Now  shall  I  be  more  blameless  than  the  Philis- 
tines, though  I  do  them  a  displeasure."  "  Displeasure  " 
is  certainly  a  very  mild  way  to  put  it. 

The  next  place  of  any  importance  is  Ramleth,  four- 
teen miles  from  Joppa.  And,  reader,  here  we  see  a 
deplorable  sight.  Here  about  twenty  lepers  crouched 
down  by  the  roadside,  poor,  despised,  forsaken  creatures. 
Some  this  dreadful  disease  has  made  blind,  others  have 
no  nose,  others  the  hands  have  fallen  off.  They  gather 
in  here  to  beg.  Listen  to  the  unearthly  gutteral  nasal 
sound  which  comes  up  through  their  hollow  palateless 
throats.  It  is  enough  to  excite  the  sympathy  of  the 
most  heartless,  unfeeling  wretch  that  bears  human  form. 
Death  certainly  would  be  a  mercy  to  these  poor  crea- 
tures. It  appears  that  they  have  been  perpetuated  in 
this  land  and  especially  around  Jerusalem  from  the 
remotest  antiquity.  It  is  not  confined  to  this  par- 
ticular locality,  however.  Other  countries  are  afflicted 
with  this  horrible,  loathsome  disease  to  as  great  an 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  285 

extent  as  Palestine.  I  made  particular  inquiries  in 
regard  to  this  disease  in  Palestine,  and  was  informed 
that  it  was  gradually  on  the  decrease.  I  will  have 
more  to  tell  you  about  this  unfortunate  class  of 
humanity  when  we  reach  Damascus. 

Before  reaching  Ramleth  we  crossed  the  grade  of  a 
railroad  now  being  constructed  from  Joppa  to  Jeru- 
salem. But  from  the  way  they  are  building  the  grade 
I  think  Gabriel  will  blow  his  horn  to  wind  up  things  in 
this  little  world  before  they  complete  it.  The  earth  to 
make  the  road-bed  is  spaded  up  by  Arab  men  and  put 
in  baskets,  which  the  women  take  up  and  carry  on  their 
heads  or  shoulders  and  pour  out  on  the  grade ;  it  looks 
like  children's  play. 

Ramleth  is  quite  a  nice  town  for  this  country.  It 
has  about  twenty-five  hundred  or  three  thousand 
inhabitants,  or  thereabout.  One-third  are  Latin  and 
Greek  Catholics.  It  is  surrounded  by  luxuriant 
orchards,  which,  in  connection  with  the  thrifty 
growth  of  the  olive,  sycamore  and  Corab  trees,  show 
conclusively  the  fertility  of  the  soil. 

We  are  now  fourteen  miles  from  Joppa  on  the  road 
leading  directly  to  Jerusalem.  In  looking  over  this 
plain  as  we  come  you  see  that  this  pretty  valley  of 
Sharon  is  not  a  level  plain.  In  every  direction  are  ele- 
vated plateaus  varying  in  extent  or  area.  These  differ 
from  what  we  would  call  ridges,  the  ascent  being  more 
abrupt,  and  when  you  have  reached  the  top  of  the 
elevated  plateau  it  spreads  out  as  a  pretty  level, 
unbroken  plain  before  you. 

Ramleth  is  the  traditional  Arimathae.  You  remem- 
ber it  is  said  in  Matthew  ''that  in  the  evening  of  the  day 
our  Lord  was  crucified  there  came  a  rich  man  of  Arima- 


286  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

thea  named  Joseph  who  was  a  disciple  of  Jesus,  and 
went  to  Pilate  and  begged  the  body  of  Jesus.  And 
Pilate  commanded  the  body  to  be  delivered  unto  him, 
and  he  wrapped  it  in  a  clean  linen  cloth  and  laid  it  in 
his  own  new  tomb  which  he  had  hewn  out  in  the  rock, 
etc."  This  custom  of  preparing  a  tomb  while  living 
in  which  to  be  buried  when  dead  is  still  kept  up  in 
Palestine. 

When  we  reach  Jerusalem  I  will  show  you  what  I 
believe  to  be  Calvary  and  a  tomb  wherein  I  believe 
Joseph  of  Arimathea  laid  the  body  of  our  Lord  and 
Savior. 

Now,  whether  this  pretty  little  town  now  called 
Hamleth  be  located  on  the  site  of  the  old  Arimathea 
where  this  good  man  Joseph  lived  or  not,  we  don't  know. 
The  bible  doesn't  tell  us  just  where  the  town  was.  Tra- 
dition says  it  was  here,  and  by  common  consent  it  is 
conceded  that  this  was  its  location. 

We  will  now  visit  that  great  stone  tower  which  we 
passed  on  our  right  a  few  hundred  yards  before  reach- 
ing the  town. 

This  stone  tower  is  claimed  by  the  Mohammedans  to 
have  been  built  by  the  son  of  Caliph  Omar,  the  second 
Caliph  from  Mohammed ;  but  it  is  more  generally 
believed  and  probably  more  justly  thought  to  have  been 
built  as  a  part  of  a  Christian  church  erected  by  the 
Franks;  whether  about  the  time  of  the  crusades  or  ante- 
dating that  period  is  a  fact  undetermined.  Near  this 
tower  may  be  traced  the  quadrangular  walls  of  an 
ancient  building  which  was  about  six  hundred  paces  in 
circumference.  The  mosque  or  church,  for  it,  like  the 
mosque  of  Saint  Sophia  at  Constantinople,  may  have 
been  used  as  a  church  and  then  again  as  a  mosque,  was 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  287 

repaired  in  the  time  of  Saladin,  1190,  and  about  the 
same  time  Sultan  Bibars  added  a  dome  and  minaret. 
The  present  tower  looks  as  though  it  was  erected-  for  a 
minaret.  Various  openings  in  and  around  the  ground 
floor  of  the  old  building  leading  to  vaults  beneath  show 
that  the  whole  of  the  ground  here  was  undermined  with 
subterranean  chambers. 

There  is  a  tradition  to  the  effect  that  there  are  forty 
companions  of  one  of  the  Caliphs,  or,  if  the  Christian 
version  of  the  matter  is  to  be  believed,  forty  Christian 
martyrs  repose  in  these  subterranean  chambers.  Near 
the  remains  of  this  old  mosque  or  church,  as  the  case 
may  be,  is  a  large  cemetery.  In  the  center  of  the 
remains  of  the  court  of  the  church  is  the  remains  of  a 
fountain. 

The  tower  is  ascended  by  a  winding  staircase  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  stone  steps  on  the  interior.  The 
steps  are  very  much  worn,  but  well  lighted  by  openings 
through  the  wall.  The  upper  part  of  the  tower  tapers, 
and  near  the  top  is  a  low  narrow  door  opening  out  onto 
a  balcony,  from  which  we  get  a  magnificent  view  of  the 
whole  surrounding  country. 

Here  we  have  spread  out  before  us  and  all  around  us 
the  valley  of  Sharon.  In  the  distance,  to  the  west  we 
see  the  valley  is  bounded  by  the  silvery  band  of  the 
Mediterranean,  which  can  be  seen  as  far  as  the  moun- 
tain range,  Carmel  on  the  north  and  Gaza  on  the  south; 
while  in  the  east,  in  full  view,  are  the  blue  but  barren 
hills  of  Judea,  to  which  you  will  find  distance  lends 
enchantment. 

"Within  this  radius  we  find  a  nest  of  scriptural  towns, 
which  I  will  now  take  pleasure  in  pointing  out  to  you, 


288  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

and  at  the  same  time  give  you  the  scriptural  reference 
to  them. 

You  see  that  elevated  little  piece  of  ground  a  little 
east  of  south  ?  Take  your  field  glass,  and  you  can  see 
an  Arab  village  on  the  highest  point  of  it.  That  is 
Ashdod-.  In  the  days  of  old  a  battle  occurred  at  Eben- 
ezer,  not  far  from  Shiloh,  between  the  children  of 
Israel  and  the  Philistines.  The  children  of  Israel  hav- 
ing been  defeated,  losing  about  four  thousand  men,  the 
Israelites  sent  to  Shiloh  and  had  the  Ark  of  the  Cove- 
nant of  the  Lord  brought  to  them,  believing  that  it 
would  save  them  out  of  the  hands  of  their  enemies.  In 
the  second  engagement,  however,  the  Philistines  were 
again  successful.  "  Israel  was  smitten,  and  every  man 
fled  unto  his  tent.  And  there  was  a  very  great 
slaughter,  for  there  fell  of  Israel  thirty  thousand  foot 
men.  And  the  Philistines  took  the  Ark  of  God  and 
brought  it  from  Ebenezer  to-  Ashdod" — the  place  we 
are  now  looking  at. 

The  Ark  of  the  Covenant  of  God  proved  to  be  a 
white  elephant  to  the  Philistines.  They  brought  it 
over  there  to  Ashdod  and  put  it  in  the  house  of  Dagon, 
their  god,  and  set  it  by  Dagon.  I  infer  from  the  read- 
ing of  the  scriptural  account  that  they  set  it  by  Dagon 
in  the  afternoon,  for  it  says,  "  And  when  they  of  Ashdod 
rose  early  on  the  morrow,  behold !  Dagon  was  fallen 
on  his  face  to  the  earth  before  the  Ark  of  the  Lord." 
Not  being  satisfied  with  this  exhibition  of  God's  dis- 
pleasure, they  took  his  majesty  and  set  him  in  his  place 
again.  And  when  they  went  early  the  next  morning 
to  see  about  him,  he  had  fallen  to  the  ground  before  the 
Ark  and  cut  off  his  head  and  the  palms  of  both  hands 
on  the  threshold.  "  Only  the  stem  of  Dagon  was  left 


AND   THE   HOLT    LAND.  289 

to  him."  That  gave  the  priests  and  worshipers  of 
Dagon  such  a  scare  that  they  were  ever  afterwards 
afraid  to  tread  on  the  threshold  of  Dagon. 

This  was  but  the  beginning  of  the  troubles  and 
disasters,  however,  which  befell  this  people  for  bring- 
ing the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  into  their  country.  For 
the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  heavy  upon  the  people  of 
Ashdod,  and  many  of  them  died.  All  the  people  around 
the  place  were  sorely  afflicted  with  hemorrhoids,  to 
such  an  extent,  in  fact,  that  they  said  that  the  Ark  of 
the  God  of  Israel  should  not  abide  with  them.  "  They 
sent  therefore  and  called  the  lords  of  the  Philistines 
and  asked  them  what  should  be  done  with  the  Ark  of 
the  God  of  Israel."  And  the  lords  told  them  to  let 
the  Ark  be  carried  to  Gath,  the  village  you  see  on  the 
plateau  to  the  right,  or  just  west  of  Ashdod. 

That  is  where  the  boasting  giant  Goliah  lived.  You 
remember  him.  He  was  a  regular  Sullivan  of  a  fellow, 
thought  he  could  clean  up  Saul  and  his  whole  army. 
As  we  go  to  Jerusalem  I  will  show  you  where  tradi- 
tion says  this  little  encounter  between  the  giant  and 
the  little  Jew  boy  occurred. 

But  I  must  tell  you  what  troubles  and  afflictions 
were  visited  upon  the  Philistines  on  account  of  the 
presence  of  the  Ark.  After  they  moved  it  over  there 
to  Gath  the  "  hand  of  the  Lord  was  against  the  city 
with  a  very  great  destruction  and  he  smote  the  men  of 
the  city,  both  small  and  great."  And  they  too  suffered 
with  the  same  disease  the  Ashdodites  had  done. 

So  they  moved  it  again  and  carried  it  to  Ekron,  a  few 
miles  south  of  Gath.  Josephus  tells  us  that  the  god 
of  Ekron  was  a  "  fly."  That  was  a  funny  deity,  "  a  fly." 
Of  all  the  gods  I  ever  heard  of,  this  is  the  most  insignifi- 


290  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

cant  and  annoying.  We  see  people  now-a-days  who 
worship  very  small  gods,  but  their  worship  aspires  to  a 
higher  object  than  this. 

But  these  people  would  have  none  of  it.  They  cried 
out,  saying,  "  They  have  brought  about  the  Ark  of 
Israel  to  us  to  slay  us  and  our  people."  So  they  gath- 
ered all  the  lords  of  the  Philistines,  and  said,  "  Send 
away  the  Ark  of  the  God  of  Israel  and  let  it  go  again 
to  its  own  place,  that  it  slay  us  not  and  our  people,  for 
there  was  a  deadly  destruction  throughout  all  the  city. 
The  hand  of  the  Lord  was  very  heavy  there." 

It  had  now  been  in  the  land  of  the  Philistines  seven 
months.  The  Philistines  called  on  the  priests  and 
diviners,  and  consulted  them  as  to  what  to  do  with  the 
Ark.  And  they  said,  "  If  ye  send  away  the  Ark  of  the 
God  of  Israel,  send  it  not  empty ;  but  in  anywise  return 
him  a  trespass  offering."  Then  they  said,  What  shall 
be  the  trespass  offering  which  we  shall  return  to  him  ? 
They  answered,  "  Five  golden  emerods  and  five  golden 
mice,  according  to  the  number  of  the  lords  of  the  Phil- 
istines, for  one  plague  was  on  you  all  and  on  your 
lords." 

It  appears  that  their  crops  had  been  injured  by  wood 
mice,  consequently  golden  mice  were  added  to  the 
trespass  offering.  The  priests  and  diviners  advised 
them  to  make  a  new  cart,  and  take  two  milch  kine  on 
which  there  hath  been  no  yoke,  and  tie  the  kine  to  the 
cart  and  bring  their  calves  home  from  them." 

So  they  took  their  advice,  and  made  a  new  cart  and 
laid  the  Ark  upon  it,  and  put  the  trespass  offering  in  a 
coffer  and  set  it  by  the  Ark.  The  priests  and  diviners 
told  them  further,  "  If,  when  the  cows  were  turned 
loose  with  the  cart,  they  took  the  straight  road  that  led 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  291 

to  Bethshemesh,  and  went  lowing  as  they  went,  and 
turned  not  aside  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the  left,  that 
they  might  know  that  their  afflictions  were  sent  upon 
them.  But  if  not,  then  they  might  know  that  it  is  not 
his  hand  that  smote  them  but  that  it  was  a  chance  that 
happened  to  them. 

The  men  of  Philistia  did  as  they  were  told,  and 
when  the  cows  were  turned  loose  with  the  cart  they 
took  the  straight  way  to  Bethshemesh  and  went  along 
the  highway,  lowing  as  they  went,  turning  neither  to 
the  right  nor  left.  And  the  lords  of  the  Philistines 
went  after  them  to  the  border  of  Bethshemesh.  Some 
of  the  people  of  Bethshemesh  were  harvesting  their 
wheat  in  the  valley,  and,  lifting  up  their  eyes,  saw  the 
Ark  coming  and  rejoiced  to  see  it.  The  cows  carried 
the  cart  with  the  Ark  on  it  into  the  fields  of  Joshua  (a 
Bethshemite.)  and  stopped  where  there  was  a  great 
stone.  When  the  five  lords  saw  that  the  covvg  had 
stopped  they  returned  to  Ekron. 

These  Bethshemites,  it  seems,  had  a  good  deal  of  curi- 
osity and  looked  into  the  Ark  of  the  Lord,  and  as  a 
consequence  fifty  thousand  and  seventy  men  were 
killed,  and  they  said,  "  Who  is  able  to  stand  before  this 
holy  Lord  God  ? "  So  they  sent  messengers  to  Kirjath- 
jearim,  informing  the  people  that  the  Philistines  had 
brought  the  Ark  of  the  Lord,  and  requested  them  to 
dome  and  get  it.  The  citizens  of  Kirjath-jearim  went 
down  and  got  the  Ark  of  the  Lord  and  carried  it  up  to 
the  house  of  Abinadab,  up  in  the  hills  of  Judea,  and 
sanctified  Eleazar,  his  son,  to  keep  it.  And  here  it 
remained  for  twenty  years. 

"We  are  still  on  the  tower  of  Ramleth,  with  our  faces 
to  the  south.  Now  if  you  will  look  to  your  left,  that 


TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

is,  a  little  east  of  south,  you  will  see  Gezer,  a  Canaan- 
ish  town,  which  Pharaoh,  king  of  Egypt,  came  up  and 
took  and  burned  and  then  gave  it  to  his  daughter, 
Solomon's  wife.  Solomon  afterward  rebuilt  the  city 
of  Gezer. 

Looking  still  further  east  just  north  of  Gezer  we  see 
where  old  Gimzo  stood.  There  is  an  Arab  village  there 
now,  you  can  see  it  in  the  distance.  Our  route  to  Jeru- 
salem, however,  runs  between  Gezer  on  the  right  and 
Gimzo  on  the  left,  and  as  we  ride  on  to  Jerusalem  on 
the  morrow  we  will  have  a  better  view  of  both  these 
historic  places. 

This  city  was  taken  from  the  Israelites  by  the  Phil- 
istines in  the  reign  of  the  wicked  and  idolatrous  King 
Ahaz. 

Now  turn  around  and  look  just  over  there  north  and 
you  will  see  the  city  of  Lydda  (ancient  Lod).  It  is 
only  a  couple  of  miles  off.  The  first  city  of  which  we 
have  any  account  of  being  built  there  was  called  Lod 
and  was  erected  fourteen  hundred  j^ears  B.C.  by  the  sons 
of  Elpaal.  You  know  on  one  occasion  Peter  came 
down  to  Lydda  to  "  see  the  saints  that  dwelt  there," 
and  found  a  poor  paralyzed  man  named  ^Eneas,  who 
had  been  bedridden  eight  years,  and  the  apostle  healed 
him  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  saying  to  him,  "  Arise 
and  make  thy  bed,"  and  he  arose  immediately.  It  was 
while  Peter  was  here  that  they  sent  two  men  for  him 
to  go  speedily  to  Joppa  to  see  Dorcas.  She  was  dead, 
however,  when  he  got  there,  "  but  Peter  put  them  all 
forth  and  kneeled  down  and  prayed,  and,  turning  him- 
self to  the  body,  said,  Tabitha,  arise,  and  she  opened  her 
eyes,  and  when  she  saw  Peter  she  sat  up.  He  called 
the  saints  and  widows  and  presented  her  to  them  alive." 


AND   THE   HOLT    LAND.  293 

This  is  the  only  instance  on  record  that  we  know  of 
where  the  Lord  ever  conferred  a  special  blessing  upon 
an  "  old  maid." 

By  raising  our  eyes  from  off  the  town  of  Lydda  and 
casting  them  far  up  the  plain  we  can  see  Mount  Car- 
mel.  But  as  we  will  be  near  this  celebrated  mountain, 
perhaps  at  it,  as  we  go  from  Jerusalem  to  Damascus,  I 
will  not  detain  you  upon  this  tower  to  talk  about  it.  I 
trust  you  have  enjoyed  looking  at  the  sites  of  these  old 
scriptural  towns,  which  in  the  scriptures  are  called 
cities.  And  as  you  see  them  now,  built  by  piling  rough 
stone  one  upon  another,  as  we  would  build  a  rock  fence, 
and  then  daubing  it  .with  mortar,  in  like  manner  they 
were  built  in  the  old  bible  days. 

You  perhaps  noticed  that  all  these  Arab  houses  are 
built  upon  mounds,  just  as  we  saw  in  Egypt.  These 
mounds  are  created  in  the  same  way,  by  the  melting 
down  or  disintegration  of  former  buildings  which  stood 
on  the  same  site. 

The  accommodations  for  tourists  at  Kamleth  are 
fairly  good.  After  leaving  Ramleth  we  travel  for 
some  eight  or  ten  miles  over  the  red,  gravelly  soil  of 
the  valley  of  Sharon  before  reaching  the  foot  of  the 
Judean  hills. 

A  few  miles  out  from  Ramleth  we  passed  Gimzo  on 
our  left  and  Gezer  on  the  right.  Gezer  was  a  royal 
Canaanitish  city  on  the  frontier  of  the  tribe  of  Ephraim. 
Ephraim  allowed  the  Canaanites  to  dwell  in  Gezer,  not- 
withstanding the  city  was  apportioned  to  him. 

At  about  six  or  seven  miles  we  cross  the  valley  of 
Ajalon.  We  frequently  hear  people  say  "that  some  of 
the  stories  in  the  old  bible  they  don't  believe."  For 
instance,  they  will  say,  "I  don't  believe  the  story  about 


294  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

Jonah  and  the  great  fish,  and  I  don't  believe  the  story 
about  Sampson  and  the  foxes,  nor  that  the  sun  and 
moon  stood  still  at  Joshua's  command."  And  yet  their 
own  life  to  live  is  a  far  greater  mystery  and  a  much 
more  wonderful  exhibition  of  God's  omnipotent  power 
than  either  or  all  of  the  three  narrations  objected  to. 

Header,  if  you  slept  as  long  and  as  soundly  as  I  did 
at  Kamleth  in  the  Latin  monastery  last  night  you 
were,  so  far  as  any  consciousness  of  your  own  existence 
was  concerned,  as  though  you  were  dead  for  eight 
hours.  Is  it  any  more  of  an  incredulous  phenomenon  for 
the  Lord  to  stop  the  earth  in  its  diurnal  revolution  upon 
its  axis  for  one  day,  or  even  longer,  for  the  scriptures 
tell  us  that  Joshua  u  spake  to  the  Lord  in  the  day  when 
the  Lord  delivered  the  Amorites,  etc." 

I  say,  is  it  any  more  strange  or  incredulous  than  that 
your  heart  should  dilate  and  contract  with  a  far  greater 
exactness  of  regularity  than  the  tick  of  your  watch, 
sending  a  rich  stream  of  life-blood  through  every  mi- 
croscopical atom  of  your  body,  making  its  round  or 
circuit  seventy  times  a  minute,  or  four  thousand  two 
hundred  times  an  hour,  or  thirty-three  thousand  two 
hundred  times  while  you  are  asleep  and  wholly  uncon- 
scious that  you  had  a  heart;  when  your  judgment 
was  at  rest  and  your  will  held  in  captivity  ?  And 
would  you  say  to  me,  "  I  don't  believe  it,"  were  I  to 
say  to  you  that  during  that'eight  hours  sleep,  while  my 
body  was  resting  and  being  prepared  for  another  day's 
labor,  my  mind  took  an  eight-thousand-mile  journey 
across  the  continent  of  Europe,  the  Mediterranean  sea 
and  the  stormy  Atlantic,  leaving  the  electric  spark 
which  flew  along  the  submerged  wires  of  the  Atlantic 
Cable  Company  far  behind,crept  into  my  far-away  happy 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  295 

home  and  there  received  new  pictures  of  the  dear  ones  at 
home  and  showed  them  to  me  in  all  their  beautifully 
clear  delineations  and  endearing  associations  the 
moment  I  awoke  ?  Can  you  deny  this  when  your  own 
experience  confirms  the  truth  ?  And  yet  you  say  you 
don't  believe  that  God  commands  and  controls  the 
universe  and  the  laws  by  which  the  universe  of  his  own 
creation  is  governed  ?  Are  you  not  permitting  yourself 
to  strain  at  a  gnat  and  swallow  a  camel?  u  The  world 
is  His,  for  He  made  it." 

The  valley  of  Ajalon,  like  the  so-called  valleys  around 
Jerusalem,  are  for  the  most  part  what  we  would  call 
ravines,  or  water  drains,  in  the  wet  season  of  the  year, 
and  Ajalon  is  a  depression  in  the  vale  of  Sharon,  near  the 
foot  of  the  hills  with  a  water  drain  running  through  it. 
The  occasion  of  the  moon  standing  still  in  this  valley 
and  the  sun  upon  Gibeon,  which  is  a  valley  over  and  at 
the  foot  of  a  hill  which  rises  just  east  of  Ajalon,  is 
exceedingly  interesting. 

Let  me  relate  it.  Five  Amoritish  kings  had  com- 
bined forces  and  made  war  upon  the  Gibeonites, 
because  Joshua  had  entered  into  league  with  them. 
The  Gibeonites  played  it  sharp  on  Joshua  and  his 
princes.  Hearing  what  Joshua  had  done  for  Jericho 
and  Ai  and  their  kings,  they  sent  embassadors  to 
Joshua's  headquarters  at  Gilgal.  They  made  these 
embassadors  dress  in  old  worn-out  clothes,  take  old  sacks 
to  put  on  their  donkeys,  and  old  rent  and  bound-up 
wine  bottles  (their  wine  bottles  were  made  of  skins  of 
animals)  and  dry  mouldy  bread,  and  old  dilapidated 
sandals,  and  they  represented  to  Joshua  that  they  came 
from  a  very  far  country,  that  they  lived  a  long  way 
off ;  but,  having  heard  of  Joshua  and  the  success  of  his 


296  TEAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

army,  not  only  at  Jericho  and  Ai,  but  also  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Jordan,  they  said  they  had  been  sent  to 
him  by  their  people  to  make  a  league  with  him. 

Joshua,  being  deceived  by  these  men  as  to  their  place 
of  habitation,  entered  into  a  league  with  them,  promis- 
ing immunity  from  hostilities,  etc.  Joshua  soon  found 
he  had  committed  a  blunder  in  this.  The  Gibeonites 
being  one  of  the  strong  tribes  of  Canaan,  occupied 
one  of  its  greatest  cities.  To  punish  them  for  the 
misrepresentations  and  duplicity,  Joshua  put  them  in 
bondage  and  made  them  "  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers 
of  water  for  the  congregation  of  Israel." 

When  the  five  Amoritish  kings  moved  their  com- 
bined forces  and  encamped  before  the  city  of  Gibeon, 
the  Gibeonites  sent  word  to  Joshua  to  come  up  quickly 
and  help  them,  saying  "  all  the  kings  of  the  Amorites 
had  gathered  against  them."  As  soon  as  Joshua  heard 
this,  he  made  a  forced  march  by  night  and  surprised 
the  enemy  and  "  slew  them  with  a  great  slaughter 
before  Gibeon,"  putting  them  to  route,  chasing  them 
along  the  way  that  led  from  Gibeon  to  that  mountain 
which  I  showed  you  yonder  on  the  far  left  Beth-horon. 
While  fleeing  before  Joshua's  victorious  army,  when 
nearing  Azekah,  the  Lord  sent  a  terrific  hailstorm  from 
heaven  "upon  them  and  they  died."  We  are  told  that 
more  of  them  were  killed  by  the  hailstones  than  were 
killed  by  the  sword. 

It  was  while  Joshua  and  his  army  were  engaged  in 
this  running  fight  that  he  asked  the  Lord  to  prolong 
the  day  by  making  the  moon  to  stand  upon  Ajalon  and 
the  sun  to  stand  still  upon  Gibeon— part  of  his  army 
being  in  one  place  and  the  remainder  in  the  other — that 
a  decisive  victory  might  be  gained. 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  297 

We  next  come  to  the  Hotel  Latron,  where  we  get  a 
fairly  good  lunch  and  rest  for  an  hour.  Just  beyond 
the  hotel  we  pass  a  small  village  by  the  same  name 
There  is  a  magnificent  spring  here  of  good,  sweet  water 
Our  road  now  enters  the  "  Wady  All,"  a  mount- 
ain gorge  which  comes  down  between  the  mountains. 
This  valley  widens  out  as  we  ascend  it,  and,  after  riding 
a  mile  or  so  on  the  side  of  the  mountain — the  gorge  or 
valley  being  to  one  side  of  us — we  leave  the  valley  and 
soon  come  to  a  grove  of  Terebinth  and  fruit  trees, 
called  "the trees  of  the  Inman  AH,"  with  an  adjoining 
spring.  The  hills  here  are  covered  with  undergrowth, 
among  which  you  see  the  wild  olive  and  Carob  trees. 

The  Carob  tree  resembles  our  wild  honey  locust. 
From  this  point  we  turn  north  up  the  hill  for  a  short 
distance,  and  then  east  again,  going  up  and  down  hills, 
going  up  a  great  deal  more  than  down,  however.  After 
riding  a  few  miles  we  see  a  small  village  on  the  north 
side  of  a  hill  to  the  right  and  below  us.  This  is  Abu 
Gosh,  named  for  a  notorious  robber  chief,  who,  with 
six  brothers  and  eighty -five  descendants,  were  a  terror 
for  a  number  of  years  to  this  whole  section  of  country, 
especially  to  pilgrims ;  and  the  muleteers,  I  am  told, 
still  fear  to  pass  the  castles  of  this  notorious  family. 
These  castles,  or  the  village  of  Abu  Gosh,  is  located  on 
the  site  of  old  Kirjath-jearim,  where,  as  before  stated, 
the  Ark  of  God  remained  twenty  years,  and  was  car- 
ried from  there  by  David  to  Jerusalem. 

At  Kirjath-jearim  we  enter  the  land  given  the  tribe 
of  Benjamin,  and  a  little  further,  on  from  the  top  of  a 
hill,  Mizpah,  or,  as  it  is  now  called,  Neby  Samwie,  may 
be  distinctly  seen  (a  village  on  the  top  of  the  highest 
peak  in  this  part  of  Palestine.) 


298  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

A  very  sad  occurrence  took  place  at  Mizpah  about 
1250  B.  C.  At  the  time  I  speak  of,  a  Gibeonite,  a 
mighty  man  of  valor,  was  living  there.  He  had  been 
driven  from  his  father's  house  by  his  brethren,  because 
his  mother  was  "  a  strange  woman."  He  was  a  married 
man,  having  an  only  child,  a  gay,  happy  daughter. 
Trouble,  war  and  oppression  came  upon  his  father's 
house  and  his  people.  The  Amorites  were  gathering 
their  forces  and  waging  war  on  the  Gibeonites.  The 
latter  were  without  a  leader,  and  in  the  emergency 
they  thought  of  Jephthah,  whom  they  had  driven 
from  his  father's  house,  and  sent  the  elder  men  of  the 
family  to  see  him  and  beg  him  to  return  and  take 
command  of  their  army.  Jephthah  finally  consented 
to  do  so,  "  and  vowed  a  vow  unto  the  Lord,  and  said, 
If  thou  shalt  without  fail  deliver  the  children  of 
Ammon  into  mine  hands,  then  it  shall  be,  that  what- 
soever cometh  forth  of  the  doors  of  my  house  to  meet 
me,  when  I  return  in  peace  from  the  children  of  Ammon, 
shall  surely  be  the  Lord's,  and  I  will  offer  it  up  for  a 
burnt  offering." 

This  was  a  rash,  foolish  vow,  made  by  an  ambitious 
leader.  God  didn't  ask  Jephthah  to  make  this  vow  ; 
as  far  as  it  entered  into  or  became  a  condition  of  his 
success,  it  was  made  so  by  Jephthah  himself.  He  took 
command  of  the  army  and  passed  over  into  the 
enemy's  country  and  made  a  successful  campaign 
against  them,  capturing  twenty  of  their  cities,  and  with 
a  very  great  slaughter  bringing  the  Amorites  in  com- 
plete subjection  to  Israel.  "The  Lord  delivered  his 
enemies  into  his  hands/'  which  he  would  have  doubt- 
less done  had  Jephthah  not  have  made  the  vow.  When 
he  returned  to  Mizpah  unto  his  house,  "  behold,  his 


AND   THE    HOLT    LAND.  299 

daughter,  his  only  child,  his  beloved  child,  came  out  to 
meet  him,  her  heart  bounding  with  joy  and  gladness 
at  the  safe  return  of  her  father.  She  run  to  meet  him 
with  timbrals  and  dances. 

"  When  Jephthah  saw  her  he  rent  his  cloths  and  said, 
Alas,  my  daughter !  thou  hast  brought  me  very  low, 
and  thou  art  one  of  them  that  trouble  me :  for  I 
have  made  a  vow  unto  the  Lord."  This  child  insisted 
upon  her  father  f ufilling  the  vow,  which  we  are  told  he 
did.  Poor,  rash,  ambitious  father,  your  hasty  vow 
doubtless  sent  your  gray  hairs  to  the  grave  in  sorrow. 

You  remember  that  it  was  here  that  Samuel  anointed 
Saul  king.  The  Israelites  saw  Samuel  was  growing 
old  and  feeble,  and  he  had  also  made  his  sons,  Joel  and 
Abiah,  judges  of  Israel  in  Beer-sheba.  It  appears  that 
they  were  avaricious,  money-loving  fellows,  and  were 
accused  of  taking  bribes  and  perverting  judgment. 
So  all  the  elders  of  Israel  gathered  themselves 
together  and  went  to  Samuel  and  demanded  that  he  be 
made  king  to  rule  over  Israel  as  other  nations  had. 
The  Lord  said  to  Samuel,  "They  haye  not  rejected  thee 
but  they  have  rejected  me,  that  I  should  not  reign  over 
them. 

"  They  have  forsaken  me  and  have  been  serving 
other  gods  ever  since  I  brought  them  out  of  the  land 
of  Egypt.  Therefore  hearken  unto  them  and  do  as  they 
desire,  make  them  a  king,  but  protest  solemnly  against  it 
and  tell  them  just  the  kind  of  a  king  they  will  have. 
And  Samuel  told  all  the  words  of  the  Lord  unto  them 
that  asked  of  him  a  king." 

And  Samuel  told  them  that  the  king  that  would 
reign  over  them  would  take  their  sons  to  attend  his 
chariots  and  to  be  horsemen  and  some  to  be  runners 


300  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

before  his  chariot,  and  that  he  would  appoint  captains 
over  thousands  and  fifties,  and  make  them  plant  his 
ground  and  harvest  his  crops,  and  that  he  would  make 
others  of  them  make  war  and  chariot  instruments. 
And  that  he  would  make  cooks,  confectioners  and 
bakers  of  their  daughters ;  that  he  would  take  the  best 
of  their  olive  groves,  their  fields  and  vineyards  and 
give  them  to  his  servants;  that  he  would  take  the 
tenth  of  their  seed  and  of  their  vineyards  and  give  it  to 
his  officers  and  servants,  that  he  would  take  their  men 
servants  and  their  maid  servants  and  their  goodliest 
young  men  and  their  donkeys  and  put  them  to  work, 
and  that  he  would  also  take  the  tenth  of  their  sheep,  and 
that  they  would  be  his  servants.  He  further  said  "You 
will  cry  out  in  that  day  because  of  the  king  you  have 
chosen." 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  they  would  not  hearken  to 
Samuel,  but  still  demanded  that  he  make  them  a  king, 
and  in  obedience  to  the  demand  of  the  people,  and 
under  the  direction  and  command  of  the  Lord,  Samuel 
at  Mizpah,  on  that  high  peak  you  see  off  to  our  left, 
anointed  Saul,  the  son  of  Kish,  king  of  Israel. 

"When  we  descend  this  hill,  which  we  will  do  by  a 
zigzag  road,  you  will  see  off  to  the  right,  across  a 
ravine,  a  very  pretty  little  town,  situated  in  the  midst 
of  vineyards  and  fruit  trees.  Now  look  just  over  there 
and  you  will  see  it.  That  is  Ain  Karim.  This  place 
has  been  handed  along  down  the  line  of  centuries  as  the 
birth-place  of  John  the  Baptist.  "  And  Mary  arose  in 
those  days  and  went  into  the  hill  country  with  haste, 
into  a  city  of  Judah  and  entered  into  the  house  of 
Zacharias  and  saluted  Elizabeth." 

This  village  of  Ain  Karim  is  located  on  a  bench  of 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  301 

land  that  runs  out  from  the  ravine  in  the  shape  of  a 
horse-shoe  between  two  hills.  It  is  a  pretty  little  vil- 
lage. At  the  foot  of  the  hill  that  we  are  now  descend- 
ing by  this  zigzag  road  is  a  narrow  valley  with  a  brook 
running  through  it.  The  valley  is  known  by  the  name 
of  Kuloniah.  This  is  where  tradition  says  the  little  Jew 
shepherd  boy  killed  the  giant  Goliah.  Four  miles  fur- 
ther on  we  reach  Jerusalem. 


TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

CHAPTEK  XII. 

JERUSALEM. 

A  FTER  a  long  wearisome  journey  of  over  eight 
J-JL-  thousand  miles  we  find  ourselves  at  last  at  the 
city  of  David,  Jerusalem,  "  vision  of  peace."  To  every 
Christian  this  is  a  place  of  untold  and  inexpressible 
interest.  ~No  man  can  give  expression  to  the  feelings 
which  he  experiences  when  this  long  thought  of,  often 
read  of,  and  a  thousand  times  imagined,  city  first 
comes  into  view  and  is  fully  spread  out  before  him  in 
all  of  its  reality.  He  involuntarily  sa}7s  to  himself,  if 
not  aloud,  "  and  this  is  Jerusalem,  the  venerable  type 
of  the  heavenly  Jerusalem." 

And  now,  when  you  see  it,  a  feeling  of  disappoint- 
ment and  sadness  comes  over  you,  and  you  say,  "  Can  it 
be  possible  that  this  is  the  place  of  which  so  much  has 
been  said,  so  much  written  and  so  much  sung  ?  Is  this 
all  that  there  is  of  the  great  and  glorious  city  of  Zion 
and  Moriah,the  far-famed  capital  of  the  Jewish  empire? 
Can  this  old  city,  with  its  low,  flat-roofed  houses ;  its 
narrow,  crooked,  filthy  streets  ;  its  degraded,  ignorant 
population,  be  the  "Holy  City,"  once  the  fountain 
head  from  which  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God  was 
wont  to  be  vouchsafed  to  mankind,  and  which  has 
exercised  the  supremest  influence  on  religious  thought 
throughout  the  world  ? " 

How  fallen,  how  degraded !  "What  a  wonderful 
material  decline !  What  a  melancholy  moral  decay 
time  has  brought  about!  What  stupendous  scenes 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND  303 

were  once  enacted  in  this  old  royal  city  !  What  do  we 
find  here  now  ?  Blind  superstition,  combined  with  the 
merest  ritualism  or  formalism,  everywhere  forces  itself 
upon  you.  "  The  chief  modern  characteristic  of  Jeru- 
salem as  we  see  it  now  is  the  fanatical  idolatry,  and  the 
Pharisaical  arrogance  and  egotism  of  the  various  so- 
called  religious  sects  or  communities  comprising  its 
population ! "  A  population  numbering  twenty-four 
thousand.  Of  these  about  thirteen  thousand  are 
Mohammedans,  seven  thousand  so-called  Christians,  and 
about  four  thousand  Jews. 

The  city  is  surrounded  by  a  stone  wall,  twelve  to 
fifteen  feet  in  thickness,  thirty -eight  and  one-half  feet 
in  height,  on  the  top  of  which  are  thirty-four  towers. 
The  area  enclosed  is  an  irregular  quadrangle  two  and 
a  half  miles  in  circumference.  The  city  is  built  upon 
four  mountains;  the  valle}Ts  between  the  mountains 
within  the  city  walls,  however,  have  been  filled  in  with 
the  accumulated  rubbish  of  ages,  until  they  are  nearly 
obliterated.  It  is  also  surrounded  by  mountains. 
David  says  :  "  As  the  mountains  are  round  about  Jeru- 
salem, so  the  Lord  is  round  about  his  people  from  hence- 
forth, even  forever." 

You  noticed  after  leaving  the  plain  of  Sharon  and 
climbing  the  hills  of  Judea  that  very  many  of  these 
hills  were  susceptible  of  being  brought  into  cultivation 
and  being  made  to  yield  profitable  crops  of  olives,  figs, 
pomegranites  and  grapes,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  in 
the  time  of  David  and  Solomon,  more  particularly  dur- 
ing the  long  peaceful  reign  of  Solomon,  and  perhaps  long 
before  that  period,  an  abundance  of  fruit  and  cereals 
were  raised  throughout  all  this  hill  country  north  and 
west  of  Jerusalem. 


TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

Now,  reader,  I  have  tried  to  the  best  of  ray  ability  to 
explain  to  you  all  the  sights,  new  and  strange,  which 
have  fallen  under  our  observation  since  we  first  landed 
on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  ;  our  travels  have  extended 
over  a  distance  of  eight  thousand  miles,  and  now  we 
are  in  comfortable  quarters  at  the  hotel  near  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  walls  of  Jerusalem.  And  as  we 
expect  to  spend  at  least  a  week  in  and  around  the  old 
city,  and  you  will  be  asked,  when  you  reach  home,  a 
great  many  questions,  sqch  as,  "Were  you  at  Jerusalem  ? 
— Did  you  visit  Mount  Calvary  ? — Did  you  see  where 
the  cross  of  Christ  stood  ? — Did  you  see  Joseph's  new 
tomb  in  which  the  body  of  our  Savior  was  laid?— 
Did  you  see  Pilate's  house  and  his  judgment  hall? — 
Did  you  see  any  part  of  the  cross  upon  which  the 
Savior  was  crucified? — Did  you  see  the  crown  of 
thorns  which  was  placed  upon  his  head  ? — Did  you  see 
any  of  the  nails  with  which  he  was  nailed  to  the  cross  ? 
— Were  you  in  the  large  upper  room  where  the  Savior 
instituted  his  supper,  and  where  the  disciples  were  gath- 
ered together  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  ? — and  many, 
many  other  such  questions — now,  let  me  say  you  will 
be  shown  all  these,  and  many  other  places  and  things, 
which  were  directly  or  indirectly  associated  with  the 
trial,  condemnation,  crucifixion,  descent  from  the  cross, 
burial,  resurrection  and  ascension  of  our  Lord.  And 
you  will  be  told  that  the  places  shown  you  are  the 
identical  places,  and  the  things  shown  you  the  identi- 
cal things,  associated  with  that  tragic  scene.  I  want  to 
prepare  your  minds,  therefore,  by  the  relation  of  some 
historical  facts  concerning  Jerusalem  and  the  finding  of 
the  so-called  sacred  places  and  things,  so  that  you  may 
be  able  to  draw  your  own  conclusions,  and  at  the  same 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  305 

time  feel  assured  that  your  conclusions  and  decisions  are 
rational  and  intelligent  deductions,  drawn  from  and 
arrived  at  with  all  the  facts  pertaining  to  the  matter 
in  question  fully  before  you. 

I  will  first  give  you  the  scriptural  account  of  the 
crucifixion.  "  Wherefore  Jesus  also,  that  he  might 
sanctify  the  people  with  his  own  blood,  suffered  with- 
out the  gate.  Pilate  said  unto  the  Jews, '  Behold  your 
king.'  But  they  cried,  'Away  with  him,  away  with 
him ! '  '  Crucify  him ! '  The  chief  priests  answered, 
*  We  have  no  king  but  Caesar.'  Then  delivered  he  him 
therefore  unto  them  to  be  crucified.  And  they  took 
Jesus  and  led  him  away.  And  he  bearing  his  cross 
went  forth  unto  a  place  called  the  place  of  a  skull, 
which  is  called  in  the  Hebrew  Golgotha:  where  they 
crucified  him  and  two  other  with  him,  on  either  side  of 
him,  with  Jesus  in  the  midst.  And  Pilate  wrote  a  title 
and  put  it  on  the  cross  ;  and  the  writing  was  'Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  the  King  of  the  Jews.''  This  title  was  written 
in  Hebrew,  Greek  and  Latin.  The  chief  priests  of  the 
Jews  said  to  Pilate,  '  Write  not,  The  King  of  the  Jews ; 
but  that  he  said,  I  am  King  of  the  Jews.'  But  Pilate 
answered,  '  What  I  have  written  I  have  written.' 

"  And  as  they  came  out  they  found  a  man  of  Gyrene, 
Simon  by  name  :  him  they  compelled  to  bear  his  cross. 
And  when  they  were  come  unto  a  place  called  Golgo- 
tha, that  is  to  say  a  place  of  a  skulls,  they  crucified 
him. "  The  particulars  of  this  tragedy  are  so  familiar 
to  my  readers  that  I  regard  it  as  unnecessary  to 
repeat  it  here  in  full.  If  the  reader  will  open  the  bible 
and  read  the  19th  chapter  of  St.  John's  gospel  and  the 
27th  chapter  of  Matthew,  he  will  find  a  full  and 
clear  relation  of  the  whple  matter,  and  from  these  scrip- 


306  TEAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

tures  we  learn  the  material  facts. concerning  the  Cruci- 
fixion. 

We  learn  first  that  the  Jews  almost  to  a  man  rejected 
Christ  and  regarded  him  not  only  as  an  imposter  and 
pretender  in  claiming  to  be  "  He  of  whom  the  prophets 
spoke,"  but  also  a  blasphemer  in  claiming  to.  be  "  the 
son  of  God."  We  further  learn  that  he  was  crucified 
without  the  gate  and  consequently  outside  the  wall 
which  at  that  time  surrounded  the  city ;  the  gate 
spoken  of  referring  to  one  of  the  several  gates  leading 
out  of  the  city.  These  were  then,  as  now,  closed  and 
securely  locked  at  night,  and  no  one  was  allowed  to 
enter  or  leave  the  city  after  a  certain  hour  in  the  after- 
noon until  the  gates  were  opened  on  the  following 
morning.  This  custom  is  kept  up  at  Jerusalem, 
Damascus  and  other  oriental  cities  at  the  present  time. 

You  see,  from  what  the  Jews  themselves  say,  that 
Palestine  at  the  time  of  the  Savior's  crucifixion  was  a 
Roman  province.  You  know  it  was  such  at  the  birth 
of  the  Savior,  for  Herod  had  been  made  king  of  the 
Jews  thirty-seven  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ. 

Our  Lord  was  crucified  when  he  was  in  his  thirty- 
third  or  thirty-fourth  year,  i.  e.,  A.  D.  33  or  34. 
Toward  the  close  of  the  year  64,  or  thirty  years  after 
the  Crucifixion,  the  Jews  in  Palestine  revolted  against 
the  Roman  authority,  and  Nero,  then  emperor,  sent 
Vespasian  with  a  large  army  into  Palestine  to  quell  the 
revolt  and  to  bring  the  Jews  again  into  subjection  to 
the  Roman  authority.  Here  Vespasian,  the  comman- 
der of  the  Roman  army,  was  joined  by  his  son  Titus, 
who  came  up  from  Egypt  with  twelve  thousand  addi- 
tional troops. 

Vespasian  threw  his  army  around  Jerusalem  and  laid 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  307 

siege  to  the  place,  and  while  thus  engaged  Nero  died 
by  suicide,  and  Vespasian,  leaving  the  army  in  the  com- 
mand of  his  son  Titus,  went  to  Rome  and  entered  into 
a  contest  with  Yitellius  for  the  crown.  When  the 
Roman  army  approached  Jerusalem  there  were  four 
contending  factions  in  the  city.  The  Zealots,  under 
Giscala,  occupied  the  castle  of  Antonia,  a  strongly 
fortified  place  and  named  for  Anthony.  This  castle 
was  at  the  northwest  corner  of  the  temple  precincts 
and  the  court  of  the  Gentiles.  The  upper  part  of  the 
city  was  held  by  what  was  known  as  the  robber  party, 
commanded  by  one  Simon  of  Gerasa,  and  the}7  were 
all  the  name  implies — they  continued  their  vocation, 
robbing  the  temple  of  its  gold  and  silver  vessels  after 
it  had  been  set  on  fire  by  the  Roman  soldiers. 

A  third  party,  under  Eleazar,  were  in  the  possession 
of  the  inner  temple  and  court  of  the  Jews ;  and  lastly, 
the  conservative  party  were  also  established  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  city.  Josephus  says  of  these  three 
factions,  "  I  suppose  that,  had  the  Romans  made  any 
longer  delay  in  coming  against  these  villains,  the  city 
would  either  have  been  swallowed  up  by  the  ground 
opening  upon  them,  or  been  overflowed  by  water,  or 
else  been  destroyed  as  the  country  of  Sodom  perished,  by 
fire,  for  it  had  brought  forth  a  generation  of  men  much 
more  atheistical  than  were  those  that  suffered  such 
punishment.  For  it  was  by  their  madness  that  all  the 
people  came  to  be  destroyed. 

"Ever  since  the  land  had  become  a  Roman  province 
a  storm  had  been  gathering.  The  Jews,  being  swayed 
by  national  pride,  were  unwilling  to  yield  to  Roman 
subjugation.  Factions  had  sprung  up  and  these  soon 
began  warring  one  with  another. 


308  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

"  In  addition  to  this  marauding  parties  under  daring 
leaders  infested  the  city  and  hill  country  around 
Jerusalem.  The  whole  country  was  in  a  disquieted 
and  truly  demoralized  condition." 

When  Yespasian's  army  entered  Palestine  thousands 
of  the  people  from  the  surrounding  country  fled  to 
Jerusalem  as  a  place  of  safety,  and  when  the  place 
was  besieged  it  was  estimated  that  there  were  not  less 
than  six  or  eight  hundred  thousand  or  more  people 
within  the  walls  of  the  ill-fated  city. 

The  four  factions  above  mentioned  were  at  war  one 
with  the  others,  each  making  desperate  efforts  to  gain 
supremacy  and  power  and  get  undisputed  control  of 
the  defenses  of  the  city.  "  This  was  the  state  of 
affairs  in  this  doomed  city  when  in  the  beginning  of  the 
year  70  A.  D.  six  legions  of  Roman  soldiers  were  sta- 
tioned in  the  environs  of  Jerusalem.  The  people  in 
the  overcrowded  city  blindly  trusted  in  some  divine  inter- 
position of  providence  to  save  them  and  destroy  their 
enemies.  They  had  been  taught  that  God  had  often 
fought  the  battles  of  Joshua,  and  they  seemed  to  think 
that  he  would  do  the  same  for  them  in  this  emergency." 

Surely  it  was  a  deplorable  condition,  a  sad  picture 
indeed,  to  see  the  old  renowned,  revered  city,  its  strong 
walls  filled  with  people  riven  by  contention,  strife  and 
internecine  war, while  the  Roman  army,serpent-like,was 
drawing  its  deadly  coil  around  it. 

After  the  city  had  been  closely  invested  by  the 
Romans,  the  Jews,  seemingly  with  suicidal  intent, 
refused  all  terms  of  capitulation.  During  each  cessation 
of  hostilities  with  the  besieging  army  these  factions 
fell  upon  and  butchered  each  other  with  an  insane 
madness  and  a  barbarity  unparalleled  in  the  annals  of 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  309 

history.  Famine  in  all  its  horrors  prevailed  to  such  an 
extent  that,  Josephus  tells  us,  the  inhabitants  were 
driven  by  hunger  to  chew  strips  of  rawhide  and  leather 
and  wisps  of  hay  gathered  up  in  the  filthy  streets; 
that  they  devoured  things  that  even  their  starving  ani- 
mals refused  to  eat.  It  is  related  that  a  poor,  starving 
mother,  driven  by  hunger  to  the  verge  of  insanity, 
killed  and  like  a  ferocious  beast  devoured  her  own 
child. 

The  following  extract  describes  the  horrors  which 
prevailed  in  the  doomed  city  the  last  night  of  the 
siege.  And  while  the  picture  may  be  somewhat  over- 
drawn in  some  particulars,  it  will  give  the  reader 
insight  into  the  total  destruction  of  the  city  and  the 
horrors  which  accompanied  it. 

This  writer  represents  himself  as  being  in  the  fated 
city.  He  says :  "  The  fall  of  our  illustrious  and 
unhappy  city  was  supernatural.  The  destruction  of  the 
conquered  was  against  the  first  principles  of  the  Roman 
policy,  and  to  the  last  hour  of  our  national  existence 
Rome  held  out  offers  of  peace  and  lamented  our  frantic 
determination  to  be  undone.  But  the  decree  was  gone 
forth  from  a  mightier  throne.  During  the  later  days 
of  the  siege  a  hostility,  to  which  that  of  man  was  as  a 
grain  of  sand  to  the  tempest  that  it  drives  on^  over- 
powered our  strength  and  senses.  Fearful  shapes  and 
voices  in  the  air.  visions  startling  us  from  our  short  and 
troubled  sleep,  lunacy  in  its  most  hideous  forms,  sudden 
death  in  the  midst  of  vigor,  the  fury  of  the  elements 
let  loose  upon  our  unsheltered  heads.  We  had  every 
terror  and  evil  that  could  beset  humannature  but  pes- 
tilence, the  most  probable  of  all  in  a  city  crowded  with 
the  famishing,  the  diseased,  the  wounded  and  the  dead. 


310  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

Yet,  though  the  streets  were  covered  with  the  unburied, 
though  every  well  and  trench  was  teeming,  though  six 
hundred  thousand  corpses  lay  flung  over  the  ramparts 
and  naked  to  the  sun,  pestilence  came  not.  If  it  had, 
the  enemy  would  have  been  scared  away.  But  the 
"abomination  of  desolation,"  the  pagan  standard,  was 
fixed  where  it  was  to  remain  until  the  plow  passed 
over  the  ruins  of  Jerusalem." 

"  On  this  night,  this  fatal  night,  no  man  laid  his  head 
on  the  pillow.  Heaven  and  earth  were  in  conflict. 
Meteors  burned  above  us,  the  ground  shook  under  our 
feet.  The  volcano  blazed,  the  wind  burst  forth  in 
irregular  blasts  and  swept  the  living  and  the  dead  in 
whirlwinds  far  into  the  desert.  We  heard  the  bellow- 
ing of  the  distant  Mediterranean,  as  if  its  waters  were 
at  our  sides,  swelled  by  a  new  deluge.  The  lakes  and 
rivers  roared  and  inundated  the  land.  The  fiery  sword 
shot  tenfold  fire,  showers  of  blood  fell.  Thunder  pealed 
from  every  quarter  of  the  heavens.  Lightnings  in 
immense  sheets,  of  an  intensity  of  duration  that  turned 
the  darkness  into  noonday,  withered  eye  and  soul, 
burned  from  the  zenith  to  the  ground,  and  marked  its 
track  by  the  forest  of  flame  and  the  shattered  summits 
of  the  hills.  Defense  was  unthought  of,  for  the  mortal 
enemy,  had  passed  from  the  mind.  Our  hearts  quaked 
for  fear,  but  it  was  to  see  the  powers  of  heaven  shaken. 
All  cast  away  the  shield  and  spear  and  crouched  before 
the  descending  judgment." 

I  know  the  sufferings  and  horrors  endured  by  the 
Jews  during  the  siege  of  Titus  are  familiar  to  manv  of 
my  readers.  But  to  some  they  are  not,  and  I  speak  of 
the  siege  and  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  under  Titus  to 
impress  upon  the  mind  of  the  reader  the  devastation, 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  311 

ruin  and,  I  may  say,  total  destruction  of  the  city  and  all 
that  it  contained.  The  city  was  reduced  to  heaps  of 
shapeless  ruins,  and  their  beloved  sanctuary,  the  temple, 
burned,  and  as  many  of  the  Jews  as  escaped  and  sur- 
vived these  awful  calamities  were  scattered  over  the 
face  of  the  earth  and  rendered  a  mockery,  a  proverb 
and  a  reproach  among  nations. 

After  the  lower  part  of  the  city  had  been  burned, 
the  upper  still  resisted,  and  on  the  7th  of  September  it 
was  burned  to  the  ground.  The  fall  of  the  city  took 
place  in  the  year  70,  some  thirty-six  or  seven  years 
after  the  crucifixion  of  Christ.  Please  bear  this  in 
mind.  For  half  a  century  after  this,  Jerusalem  had 
ceased  to  exist  and  lost  its  identity,  and  it  was  not  till 
A.  D.  130  that  the  Emperor  Hadrian  erected  a  town  on 
the  site  of  the  Holy  City,  which  he  called  Aelia  Capi- 
tolina,  or  simply  Aelia. 

We  are  informed  that  at  the  end  of  the  fourth  cen- 
tury a  statue  of  Jupiter  occupied  the  site  now  occupied 
by  the  church  of  the  Holy  Sepulcher,  and  that  a  tem- 
ple of  Jupiter,  containing  statues  oi  Jupiter  and  Hadrian, 
stood  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  Jewish  temple. 

Now,  reader,  the  object  I  have  in  view  in  writing  the 
foregoing  historic  facts  in  relation  to  the  real  condition 
of  Jerusalem  at  the  time  it  was  visited  by  Helena,  the 
mother  of  the  Emperor  Constantine,  who  claimed  to 
have  been  converted  to  Christianity,  and  was  regarded 
as  the  first  Christian  Emperor  of  Rome,  is  to  show  you 
and  to  forcibly  impress  your  mind  in  regard  to  the  true 
condition  of  Jerusalem  at  the  time  this  fanatic  and 
old  crank  Helena  visited  it. 

Saint  Helena  visited  Jerusalem  A.  D.  325  and  claimed 
to  have  discovered  the  sepulcher  of  Jesus,  and  also  the 


312  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

cross  on  which  he  died.  In  addition  to  these  it  is  now 
claimed  that  she  found  the  crown  of  thorns,  and  the 
nails  with  which  our  Lord  was  nailed  to  the  cross. 
You  will  see  from  the  abovre  that  about  three  hundred 
years  elapsed  from  the  time  of  the  crucifixion  of  Christ 
to  the  professed  finding  of  the  cross  and  the  identifi- 
cation of  the  several  places  mentioned  in  connection 
with  his  crucifixion,  burial,  resurrection,  etc.  In 
addition  to  this,  let  me  call  your  attention  to  another 
fact :  there  is  not  a  word  or  a  line  in  the  scriptures 
which  would  indicate  that  the  apostles  or  any  of  the 
disciples  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ever  visited  the  cross 
of  Calvary,  the  place  where  it  stood,  or  the  tomb  in 
which  his  body  was  laid  after  his  resurrection  and 
ascension. 

There  is  not  an  expression  in  the  scriptures  to 
indicate  that  they  cherished  a  feeling  of  reverence  or 
adoration  for  any  of  the  instrumentalities  of  his  passion. 
If  idolatry  means  the  worship  of  idols,  images  or  any- 
thing made  by  hands,  or  which  is  not  God,  you 
will  see  here  in  this  old  city  as  gross  idolatry  robed  in 
the  garb  and  bearing  the  name  of  Christianity  as  was 
ever  practiced  by  Jeroboam  at  Bethel  and  Dan,  where 
he  erected  the  golden  calves  and  tore  down  the  altars 
of  God  and  erected  the  altars  of  Baal. 

I  repeat,  you  will  see  as  much  idolatry  in  this  city 
among  professed  Christians  as  can  be  found  in  heathen" 
lands.  If  to  be  a  Christian  means  to  be  like  Christ,  or 
Christ-like,  the  sects  here  which  are  called  "Christian," 
in  contradistinction  to  the  Mohammedans,  are  as  far 
from  being  Christ-like  in  their  lives,  in  their  creed  and 
mode  of  worship  as  the  Mohammedan  or  the  heathen ; 
yea,  farther. 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  313 

Without  further  comment  I  will  now  go  into  the  city 
and  let  you  see  for  yourself  and  judge  for  yourself,  and 
hear  for  yourself,  the  lies,  the  frauds,  the  base  imposi- 
tion and  the  mockery  of  Christianity  practiced  by  the 
priests,  abbots,  monks,  nuns  and  leaders  of  the  various 
so-called  "Christian  sects" — and  by  them  through  a 
system  of  ritualism,  consisting  of  bells,  images,  holy 
water,  a  service  in  a  dead  language,  choirs,  processions, 
incense,  confessions,  fasts,  purgatory,  a  reverence  for  a 
divine  mother  and  child,  relic  worship,  pilgrimages, 
shrines  of  saints,  and  every  other  imaginable  tom- 
foolery that  could  possibly  be  imposed  upon  a  credu- 
lous, ignorant  people,  to  fall  down  and  worship  these 
fictitious  places  invented  by  their  leaders  from  mer- 
cenary motives,  and  for  the  sole  object  of  gaining 
proselytes  and  money. 

Now,  reader,  our  hotel,  as  before  stated,  is  located 
near  the  northwest  corner  of  the  wall  which  encircles 
the  city.  By  going  east  along  a  wide  road  which  runs 
just  outside  the  north  wall,  at  about  half  the  length  of 
this  wall  we  come  to  the  "  Damascus  gate."  Here 
we  will  enter  the  city  and  then  turn  to  the  left  or  east 
and  ascend  the  hill  of  Bezetha ;  on  the  top  of  this  hill 
we  come  to  a  house  belonging  to  one  of  the  Turkish 
officials,  from  the  roof  of  which  we  get  a  magnificent 
view  of  the  whole  city.  Permission  to  go  upon  the 
roof  of  this  house  is  always  granted  to  tourists. 

You  see  a  large  majority  of  the  houses  are  one  and 
two-story  flat-roofed  buildings  thrown  together,  totally 
destitute  of  architectural  skill  or  beauty.  The  taller 
.buildings  with  domes  and  minarets  are  mosques.  Those 
with  spires  and  crosses  are  Catholic  cathedrals.  The 
streets  look  like  little  winding  paths  running  in  every 


314  TBAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

direction.  Now,  isn't  it  an  old  hard-looking  place?  If 
you  will  look  over  near  the  east  wall  of  the  city  you 
will  see  a  large  octagon  building,  from  the  center  of 
which  rises  a  beautiful  dome.  That  is  the  temple  of 
Omar,  situated  on  the  brow  of  Mount  Moriah,  where 
stood  Solomon's  temple.  Now  look  over  somewhat  to 
the  west  of  the  center  of  the  city  and  you  see  another 
large  building  covered  with  a  more  conical  dome. 
That  is  the  church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  Beyond 
that  and  still  farther  west  you  see  the  tower  of  David. 

We  will  now  descend  to  the  street  and  work  our  way 
among  these  Arabs,  Jews,  donkeys,  children  and  dogs 
that  crowd  these  narrow,  crooked,  dirty  streets  from 
morning  till  night,  and  go  to  the  "orphanage  and 
school  of  the  Latin  Sisters  of  Zion,"  a  large,  new  house 
said  to  be  erected  on  the  site  of  "  Pilate's  judgment 
hall."  I  here  insert  the  13th  and  14th  verses  of  the 
19th  chapter  of  the  gospel  of  John,  for  you  will  under- 
stand better  what  I  have  to  tell  you  about  the  house 
which  we  now  propose  to  enter.  It  reads  as  follows : 
"When  Pilate,  therefore,  heard  that  saying  he  brought 
Jesus  forth  and  sat  down  in  the  judgment  seat,  in  a 
place  that  is  called  the  pavement,  but  in  the  Hebrew, 
Gabbatha,  and  it  was  the  preparation  of  the  Passover 
and  about  the  sixth  hour,  and  he  saith  unto  the  Jews, 
Behold  your  king. 

When  they  were  excavating  for  the  foundation  for 
this  orphanage  and  school  building,  they  found  an  old 
stone  arch  (Ecce  Homo),  which  was  believed  to  be  a  part 
of  the  original  building  which  constituted  Pilate's  judg- 
ment hall  and  the  door  where  Pilate  stood  with  the' 
Savior  when  he  said,  "  Behold  your  king." 

This  stone  arch  reaches  over  the  street,  one  end  of 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  315 

which  extends  into  the  orphanage.  It  was  left  in  situ 
and  the  wall  of  the  new  building  incorporated  with  it, 
so  that  the  arch  can  now  be  seen  spanning  the  street. 

By  going  down  a  stairway  into  the  basement  of  this 
building,  some  ten  or  twelve  feet  below  the  present 
level  of  the  street,  we  find  a  considerable  area  of  old 
Roman  pavement,  worn  by  travel.  This  is,  doubtless, 
the  same  pavement  once  trodden  by  the  Savior.  Here 
you  see,  also,  two  large  flat  stones,  which  is  believed  by 
a  great  many  to  be  the  "  pavement "  from  which,  in  the 
time  of  Christ,  laws  and  judgments  were  promulgated. 

We  now  go  back  a  short  distance,  the  way  we  came 
up  the  street,  and  on  the  opposite  side  from  the  orphan- 
age we  see  a  two-story  house,  which  is  now  used  for  a 
Turkish  barracks.  This  is  said  to  stand  upon  the 
ground  once  occupied  by  the  residence  of  Pilate,  and 
was  called  the  "  Praetorium."  Allow  me  to  say  just  here 
that  in  the  fourth  century  the  site  of  Pilate's  house  was 
said  to  be  in  a  different  part  of  the  city. 

And  then  again  in  the  6th  century  it  was  claimed  to 
be  in  another  place,  and  toward  the  end  of  the  Crusad- 
ers' period  it  was  located  by  tradition,  where  it  is  now 
revered. 

This  is  now  claimed  to  be  the  beginning  of  what  is 
called  the  Yia  Dolorosa,  "  street  of  pain,"  or  "  way  of 
grief,"  the  way  by  which  the  Savior  is  said  to  have 
borne  his  cross  to  Golgotha.  You  see  the  barracks  is 
upon  the  second  floor  and  is  reached  by  a  broad  flight 
of  steps  running  up  from  an  off-set  in  the  street.  And 
the  so-called  "  holy  steps  "  which  I  showed  you  in  or 
near  the  Lateran  church  at  Rome  is  said  to  have  been 
removed  from  here  by  St.  Helena  on  the  occasion  of 
her  visit  to  this  place  A.  D.  325. 


316  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

This  street  of  pain  was  not  claimed  as  the  route 
traveled  by  the  Savior  until  the  16th  century,  fifteen 
hundred  years,  or  near  that,  after  the  Crucifixion. 
There  is  a  small  chapel  in  the  barracks  which  the  Cath- 
olics claim  to  be  the  first  station,  the  place  where  the 
Savior  stood  before  Pilate,  or  the  place  from  which  he 
started  on  his  way  to  Golgotha.  There  are  fourteen 
prayer  stations  on  this  route.  The  first  one  is  the 
chapel  in  the  barracks  already  mentioned,  the  second 
is  in  the  street  at  or  near  the  step  leading  up  into  the 
barracks.  Here  it  is  claimed  the  cross  was  laid  upon 
the  Savior.  We  now  retrace  our  steps  going  west  and 
pass  under  the  stone  arch  above  spoken  of,  going  by 
the  orphanage  which  is  on  the  north  or  opposite  side  of 
the  street,  i.  e.,  on  our  right.  From  this  arch  we  go 
down  a  gradual  descent.  "We  are  now  going  down  into 
what  was  formerly  the  Tyropean  valley  ;  the  valley 
was  originally  a  deep  ravine,  but  now  comparatively  a 
slight  depression.  The  accumulated  rubbish  of  centuries 
has  filled  it  in  until  the  original  bottom  is  now  fifty 
or  more  feet  below  the  street  that  runs  across  it.  This 
is  the  old  cheese  mongers'  vallev,  as  it  was  once  called. 

•/     s 

The  street  we  are  now  in  runs  west  and  very  soon 
enters  at  a  right  angle  the  street  coming  from  Damas- 
cus gate.  Soon  after  entering  this  street  we  see  on  our 
left  a  broken  column  leaning  against  the  wall  of  a 
house.  Near  this  broken  column  is  where  they  say 
Christ  sank  under  the  weight  of  the  cross.  This  event 
was  formerly  assigned  to  a  different  place.  After  pass- 
ing this  the  street  runs  a  little  to  the  south.  About 
forty  or  fifty  steps  further  on  we  come  to  the  tradi- 
tional house  of  "  the  poor  man  Lazarus."  If  Lazarus 
owned  this  house,  or  even  the  lot  upon  which  it  is  built, 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  317 

he  could  have  sold  it  for  enough  to  have  supplied  all 
his  wants.  There  must  be  a  mistake  somewhere. 
Either  he  was  not  the  poor  man  who  begged  for  the 
crumbs  which  fell  from  the  rich  man's  table,  or  this 
house  and  lot  did  not  belong  to  him.  These  relic  wor- 
shiping people  ought  to  make  up  a  more  plausible 
yarn  than  this. 

Beyond  the  house  of  Lazarus  is  the  fourth  station 
where  they  say  Christ  met  his  mother.  Not  a  great 
way  beyond  this  point  the  Via  Doloroso  turns  into  a 
street  running  west.  At  the  corner  of  the  street  to  the 
right  is  a  handsome  house  for  Jerusalem  ;  they  say  this 
was  the  house  of  Dives,  the  rich  man  at  whose  gate  lay 
poor  Lazarus  full  of  sores  and  desiring  to  be  fed  with 
the  crumbs  which  fell  from  the  rich  man's  table. 

There  was  no  mention  of  this  being  the  house  of 
Dives  before  the  15th  century.  Here  is  located 
the  5th  station  where  Simon  the  Gyrene  took  the  cross 
from  Christ.  Beyond  this  in  the  next  house  to  the  left 
a  stone  has  been  built  into  the  wall  having  a  depression 
in  it,  they  say  caused  by  the  hand  of  Christ  to  keep  from 
falling.  They  seem  to  have  forgotten  they  placed 
the  cross  upon  Simon  just  before  reaching  this  place. 

We  now  go  up  the  opposite  side  of  the  Tyropean 
valley  about  one  hundred  paces,  to  near  an  archway, 
•where  we  enter  a  narrow  doorway  on  the  left  side  of 
the  street.  This  leads  us  into  a  vault  where  we  see 
the  tomb  and  bust  of  St.  Veronica.  They  say  she 
wiped  with  her  handkerchief  the  perspiration  from  the 
Savior's  face  at  this  spot,  and  they  show  you  her  hand- 
kerchief with  the  dim  outlines  of  a  face  upon  it,  which 
is  claimed  to  be  the  identical  handkerchief  which  the 
young  lady  used  upon  the  occasion.  That's  thin.  The 


318  TKAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

yarn  is  thin,  and  the  handkerchief  is  thin.  It  is  a  very 
improbable  story  throughout.  I  say  this  to  keep  from 
appearing  rude  by  calling  it  by  its  proper  name. 

A  little  further  on  the  street  makes  two  bends  and 
crosses  a  street  running  north  and  south.  Just  before 
crossing  this  street  we  are  shown  on  the  left  a  house 
against  which  the  Savior  is  said  to  have  leaned  or 
where  he  fell  the  second  time.  This  is  pointed  out  as 
the  seventh  station. 

A  little  further  on  at  the  eighth  station  is  where  the 
Savior  is  said  to  have  addressed  the  women  who 
accompanied  him.  Here  the  Via  Doloroso  ends,  the 
ninth  station  being  in  front  of  the  Coptic  monastery 
and  near  the  church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 
At  this  ninth  station  it  is  said  the  Savior  again  sank 
under  the  weight  of  the  cross  (which  was  being  carried 
by  Simon,  the  Gyrene),  a  strange  statement. 

The  last  five  of  the  fourteen  stations  are  in  the  church 
of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  The  tenth  station,  or  place 
where  Christ  is  said  to  have  stopped,  is  marked  by  a 
circular  stone  in  the  pavement  constituting  the  floor  of 
the  church,  and  is  the  place  where  he  is  said  to  have 
been  undressed. 

The  eleventh,  where  he  was  nailed  to  the  cross,  is  in 
front  of  an  altar.  The  twelfth,  that  of  raising  the 
cross,  is  in  a  Greek  chapel  near  to  and  adjoining  the 
altar  above  mentioned.  The  thirteenth,  where  he  was 
taken  down  from  the  cross,  is  between  the  eleventh 
and  twelfth  stations.  And  the  fourteenth  is  the  Holy 
Sepulchre  itself.  All  of  these  last  five  places  men- 
tioned are  within  a  radius  of  twenty  or  thirty  feet. 

We  are  informed  in  the  Scriptures  quoted  at  the 
beginning  of  this  chapter  that  Golgotha  lay  without 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  319 

the  city,  and  one  of  the  difficulties  of  locating  this 
place  has  resulted  from'  the  inability  of  determining 
where  the  city  walls  stood  at  the  time  of  the  Crucifix- 
ion, no  two  authorities  agreeing  in  regard  to  it,  so 
thoroughly  and  completely  was  the  city  walls  destroyed 
or  torn  down  by  Titus. 

The  church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  which  is  claimed 
to  have  been  built  upon  Golgotha,  is  now  in  the  center 
of  the  modern  city.  Another  difficulty  in  the  way  is 
that  there  is  no  evidence  that  the  spot  was  revered  or 
regarded  as  sacred  or  even  known  in  the  early  centu- 
ries of  the  Christian  era.  Nor  do  the  old  authorities 
agree  as  to  the  kind  of  building  Hadrian  erected  on 
the  place  called  Golgotha;  some  asserting  that  it 
was  the  temple  of  Zeus,  others  that  it  was  the  temple  of 
Jupiter.  Again,  the  whole  story  of  St.  Helena  finding 
the  cross,  crown,  etc.,  in  a  cave  or  grotto  under  the 
present  church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  in  the  fourth 
century  of  the  Christian  era,  after  a  long  and  diligent 
search,  goes  far  to  establish  the  fact  that  there  was 
not  even  a  traditional  locality  known  as  Golgotha  at 
that  time.  All  we  know  is  that  there  was  a  church 
erected  here  in  or  about  336  A.  D;  in  614  this  church 
was  destroyed  by  the  Persians,  and  that  it  was  rebuilt 
between  616  and  626  again  ;  again  in  963  it  was  mate- 
rially injured  by  fire,  and  in  969  it  was  again  further 
damaged  by  fire.  It  was  very  seriously  damaged  in 
1010  by  the  Moslems,  but  was  rebuilt  in  1055.  In  the 
beginning  of  ±he  twelfth  century  the  crusaders  erected 
over  the  locality  a  large  church,  which  embraced  all 
the  holy  places  and  chapels. 

Many  additions  have  been  made  to  this  building,  and 
many  disasters  have  befallen  it  from  time  to  time. 


320  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

We  find  now,  however,  a  pile  of  edifices  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  from  east  to  west,  and  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty  from  north  to  south,  containing 
seventy  stations  and  "  innumerable  isles,  windows,  stair- 
ways, tombs,  dark  recesses,  chapels,  oratories,  altars, 
concealed  relics,  and  other  holy  inventions"  • 

It  has  been  said,  "  Verily,  nothing  is  too  hard  for 
stout-hearted  credulity."  And  when  you  visit  Jerusa- 
lem and  witness  the  idolatrous  worship  of  these 
invented  places  you  will  heartily  endorse  the  saying. 

As  before  stated,  there  are  some  seventy  places  in 
this  church,  including  altars  of  worship  and  places 
regarded  as  more  sacred  than  others.  I  can  only  point 
out  a  few  of  these,,  as  it  would  be  tedious,  if  not  tire- 
some, to  attempt  a  minute  description  of  them  all,  and 
tend  only  to  confusion. 

Upon  entering  the  church,  the  first  thing  which 
attracts  the  attention  is  a  squad  of  armed  Turkish 
soldiers  sitting  in  the  vestibule.  The  Savior  admon- 
ished his  followers  to  "  love  one  another,"  but  the  sects 
or  so-called  Christians  worshiping  in  this  church  are 
so  completely  moved  by  jealousy  and  fanaticism — and, 
I  may  add,  the  almighty  dollar — that  they  of  ten  quarrel 
and  fight  like  cats  and  dogs,  and  it  frequently  becomes 
necessary  for  the  soldiers  to  interfere  to  keep  order. 

What  a  commentary  upon  their  professions  of  Chris- 
tianity to  have  to  record  the  fact  that  this  armed  force 
of  Mohammedan  soldiers,  these  so-called  heathens, 
have  to  be  stationed  in  a  church  to  keep  peace  among 
the  professed  followers  of  Him  who  said,  "  Peace  be 
with  you,  my  peace  I  leave  with  you." 

Passing  the  guard  we  next  see  a  large  stone  eight 
and  a  half  feet  long  and  four  feet  broad.  This  slab  is 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  .  321 

about  six  inches  in  thickness,  and  is  raised  some  six  or 
eight  inches  above  the  stone-paved  floor.  You  ask  me 
what  all  these  dozens  and  scores  of  people  are  crowding 
around  that  stone,  dropping  on  their  knees,  putting 
first  one  cheek  and  then  the  other  and  then  kissing  it 
for?  You  remember  the  apostle  John  tells  us  that 
after  the  Savior  was  crucified  Joseph  of  Arimathea 
went  to  Pilate  secretly,  being  afraid  of  the  Jews,  and 
asked  for  the  body  of  Jesus,  that  he  might  take  it  away 
for  burial.  And  there  came  Nicodemus,  bringing  about 
a  hundred  pounds  of  a  mixture  of  myrrh  and  aloes,  and 
they  took  the  body  of  Jesus,  and  wound  it  in  linen 
clothes,  with  the  spices,  as  was  the  manner  of  the  Jews. 
Now,  I  will  answer  your  question.  This  is  called  the 
stone  of  anointment,  on  which  they  say  the  body  of 
Jesus  was  laid  when  it  was  anointed  by  Nicodemus. 
What  do  you  call  such  adoration  as  you  see  here? 

Before  the  period  of  the  Crusades  (the  first  Crusade 
occurring  in  1099  A.  D.),  we  are  informed  that  a  sepa- 
rate church,  called  the  church  of  St.  Mary,  was.  built 
over  the  place  of  anointment ;  but  when  the  Franks 
built  a  house  covering  all  the  sacred  places  it  was 
moved  to  the  place  we  now  see  it.  We  are  further 
informed  that  the  stone  has  -been  frequently  changed 
and  has  been  in  possession  of  the  various  religious  sects 
at  different  times.  "  In  the  fifteenth  century  it 
belonged  to  the  Copts.  In  the  16th  to  the  Georgians, 
from  whom  the  Roman  Catholics  purchased  permission 
for  five  thousand  piasters,  or  about  a  thousand  or  twelve 
hundred  dollars,  to  burn  candles  over  it."  It  afterward 
belonged  to  the  Greek  Catholics.  The  Armenians, 
Latins,  Greeks  and  Copts  are  now  entitled  to  burn 
lamps  over  it.  This  reddish-yellow  marble  slab  which 


322  .  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

you  see  these  misguided  creatures  worshiping  was 
placed  here  in  1808.  Formerly  pilgrims  were  in  the 
habit  of  measuring  this  slab  to  have  their  burial  sheet 
made  the  same  length. 

Now  look  just  over  there  a  few  steps  off,  and  you 
see  a  circular  stone  fitted  in  the  paved  floor  enclosed 
with  iron  railings.  The  railings,  as  you  see,  do  not 
reach  the  floor  by  some  fifteen  inches  or  more.  They 
are  left  in  this  way  so  that  these  devoted  worshipers 
of  wood,  stone,  etc.,  can  put  their  heads  under  the  rail- 
ings and  kiss  the  circular  stone  which  is  said  to  mark 
the  place  where  the  women  are  said  to  have  stood  when 
Jesus  was  being  crucified.  That  is  fanaticism  in  the 
extreme. 

A  few  steps  further  on  and  to  the  right  brings  us  to 
the  center  of  the  rotunda,  where  we  find  the  Holy  Sep- 
ulchre. This  is  placed  under  the  great  dome  of  the 
church.  In  the  scriptures  we  read:  "  Now  in  the  place 
where  he  was  crucified  there  was  a  garden,  and  in  the 
garden  a  new  sepulchre  wherein  was  man  never  yet  laid." 
If  we  have  taught  ourselves  to  believe  all  that  is  told  us 
we  see  here  the  new  sepulchre  wherein  was  never  man 
yet  laid  ;  in  which  the  body  of  Jesus  was  laid.  This 
one  fills  the  bill  literally  and  truly,  for  it  is  a  new  sepul- 
chre, and  no  man  was  ever  laid  therein  even  to  this  day, 
not  even  the  Savior. 

"  Around  the  sepulchre  of  Jesus  have  clustered  the 
hopes  and  affections  of  the  Christian  world  since  the 
day  Jesus  taught  the  world  by  example  the  grand  soul- 
stirring  truth  of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  But  it 
was  the  person  of  Jesus  who  arose,  and  who  taught 
this  grand  doctrine,  and  the  Christian's  hope  and  affec- 
tions should  follow  him  in  his  ascension  to  the  right 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  323 

hand  of  the  Father,  and  there  fix  and  chain  him-  as  an 
anchor  to  the  soul  both  sure  and  steadfast."  It  is  not 
the  cold,  bare  stones  composing  the  tomb  of  Jesus  or 
any  saint  which  should  be  the  object  of  our  adoration. 

In  the  center  of  the  rotunda,  beneath  the  dome,  is  the 
so-called  Holy  Sepulchre,  or  sacred  tomb  of  the  Savior, 
the  supreme  object  of  veneration  of  the  so-called 
Christian  sects  at  Jerusalem.  In  the  course  of  Helena's 
search  for  the  sepulchre  a  rock  cavern  was  discovered 
and  a  chapel  was  soon  erected  over  the  spot.  The 
chapel  of  the  tomb  itself  is  a  small  marble  room  not 
more  than  six  or  seven  feet  in  length  and  six  in  width. 
On  the  north  side  and  to  the  right  of  the  entrance  lies 
the  slab  covering  the  tomb;  the  tomb  being  five  feet 
long,  two  feet  wide,  and  raised  three  feet  above  the 
floor.  From  the  ceiling  of  this  small  chapel  are  sus- 
pended some  forty  or  more  fine  gold  and  silver  lamps, 
which  are  kept  burning  day  and  night.  "  This  small 
chapel  is  surrounded  by  another,  sixteen-sided,  twenty- 
six  feet  long,  and  seventeen  wide.  In  front  of  the  low 
door  on  the  east  is  a  kind  of  ante-chamber,  provided 
with  stone  benches  and  a  large  candelabra.  When 
entering  the  chapel  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  oriental 
Christians  remove  their  shoes  in  the  ante-chamber." 
'  Passing  through  the  antechamber  we  enter  a  vesti- 
bule called  the  angels'  chapel,  sixteen  feet  long  and  ten 
wide.  In  the  center  lies  a  stone  set  in  marble,  which 
is  said  to  be  that  which  the  angels  rolled  away  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Sepulchre,  and  on  which  he  afterwards 
sat. 

A  fragment  of  this  stone  is  said  to  be  built  into  the 
altar  on  the  place  of  Crucifixion.  In  this  chapel 
another  lot  of  lamps  are  kept  burning  continually. 


324  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

The  Resurrection,  like  the  Crucifixion,  was  announced 
by  an  earthquake;  we  are  told,  "There  was  a  great 
earthquake,  for  the  angel  of  the  Lord  descended  from 
heaven  and  rolled  back  the  stone  from  the  door  and 
sat  upon  it."  It  is  a  part  of  this  veritable  stone  that  is 
claimed  to  be  in  this  chapel  of  the  angel. 

In  the  time  of  the  Crusades  the  sanctuary  covering 
the  Holy  Sepulchre  was  circular  in  form  and  covered 
with  a  dome.  In  1719  the  whole  building  was  renewed 
and  enlarged. 

From  the  description  given  by  Luke  we  would  expect 
a  tomb  hewn  out  of  the  rock  wherein  the  body  was 
laid  and  then  arched  over,  such  as  we  see  all  around 
Jerusalem.  But  here,  however,  the  whole  surface  was 
overlaid  with  marble  as  far  back  as  the  Middle  Ages, 
and  it  would  require  very  critical  examination,  and 
such  as  no  one  would  be  allowed  to  make,  to  ascertain 
whether  a  rock  chamber  ever  really  existed  here  or  not. 
Under  the  Latin  altar  they  raise  a  small  marble  slab 
and  show  you  three  holes  chisled  in  the  stone,  or  in  a 
stone  put  there  for  the  purpose,  for  all  I  know,  which 
they  say  are  the  holes  in  which  the  three  crosses  were 
placed.  These  holes  are  cut  round  and  are  about  six 
inches  in  diameter,  and  eight  or  ten  inches  deep,  all 
three  of  the  holes  being  placed  in  a  row  some  eighteen 
or  twenty  inches  apart.  The  whole  space  given  the 
three  crosses  is  not  more  than  would  be  required  for 
the  erection  of  a  single  cross. 

To  the  right  of  this  altar  a  silver  slide  in  the  floor 
can  be  moved  to  one  side  and  brings  to  view  a  rent  in 
the  stone  beneath,  which  appeared  to  me  to  have  been 
made  with  a  chisel,  which  you  are  told  is  where  the 
rock  was  rent  in  twain  on  the  day  of  the  Crucifixion  ; 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  325 

and  the  credulous  are  told  that  a  skull  miraculously 
leaped  from  the  crevice. 

In  this  church  of  inventions  you  are  shown  the  tombs 
of  Joseph,  Nicodemus,  and  Melchisedec ;  the  place  of 
Abraham's  sacrifice,  the  center  of  the  world  where  dirt 
was  obtained  to  make  Adam,  and  chapels  without  end. 
I  mention  a  few  only  ;  chapel  of  the  Copts,  chapel  of 
the  Syrians,  chapel  or  prison  of  Christ,  chapel  of  Mary 
Magdalene,  chapel  of  forty  martyrs,  chapel  of  scourging, 
chapel  of  the  crowning  with  thorns,  chapel  of  the  finding 
of  the  cross,  etc.,  etc.,  almost  ad  injmitum. 

"  During  the  festival  of  Easter  the  church  is  crowded 
with  pilgrims  of  every  nationality,  and  there  are  enacted, 
both  in  the  church  and  throughout  the  city,  many  dis- 
orderly scenes,  which  produce  painful  impressions. 
During  the  Crusades  the  Roman  Catholics  used  to 
represent  the  entry  of  Christ  riding  a  donkey  from 
Bethphage,  spreading  palms  and  olive  branches  on  the 
way.  And  now  they  annually  send  to  Gaza  and  get 
palm  branches,  which  they  consecrate  and  distribute  on 
Palm  Sunday.  On  Holy  Thursday  they  celebrate  a 
grand  mass  and  walk  in  procession  around  the  Holy 
Sepulchre,  after  which  the  washing  of  feet  takes  place 
at  the  door  of  the  sepulchre.  The  Greeks  also  celebrate 
the  washing  of  feet,  but  not  on  the  same  day  with  the 
Latins.  The  Franciscans  used  to  celebrate  Good  Friday 
with  a  mystery  play,  which  terminated  with  nailing  a 
figure  to  a  cross.  I  was  told  that  the  Greeks  had  a 
similar  performance  now. 

Reader,  that  you  may  have  a  more  correct  idea  of 
the  ceremonies  enacted  in  the  church  of  the  Holy  Sep- 
ulchre, under  the  garb  of  religion  and  religious  worship, 
I  give  you  a  description  of  it  as  witnessed  by  Rev.  W. 


326  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

M.  Thomson,  who  was  a  resident  of  Palestine  for  many 
many  years.  He  says :  "I  arrived  from  Ramleh  fatigued, 
but  as  an  important  ceremony  was  going  forward  in 
the  church  I  hastened  hither  at  once.  The  whole 
vast  edifice  was  crowded  with  pilgrims  (it  is  estimated 
that  it  will  hold  six  or  seven  thousand  people),  from  all 
parts  of  the  world,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  I 
followed  my  companion  into  the  rotunda,  A  priest 
who  knew  us  came  up,  and  after  inquiring  about  the 
news  of  the  day  asked  if  we  would  be  conducted  into 
the  interior  of  the  Greek  chapel,  where  the  religious 
services  were  going  on,  and  then  summoning  a  Turkish 
Cawaas  (officer)  we  began  to  move  in  that  direction. 
To  my  amazement  and  alarm  the  Cawaas  began  to  beat 
the  crowd  over  the  head,  when  down  they  crouched  to 
the  floor  and  we  walked  over  their  prostrate  bodies. 

There  was  no  help  for  it,  those  behind  rising  up 
thrust  us  forward.  After  proceeding  some  distance 
we  paused  to  take  breath  where  the  crowd  was  more 
dense  and  obstinate  than  usual,  and  I  was  seriously 
informed  that  this  was  the  exact  navel  of  the  earth. 
And  these  obstinate  pilgrims  were  bowing  and  kissing 
it.  (I  never  knew  until  I  was  in  this  church  of  the 
Holy  Sepulchre  that  the  earth  had  a  navel.  I  am  glad 
I  saw  it,  however,  although  it  is  a  different  looking 
affair  from  all  the  other  navels  I  ever  saw.  I  don't 
dispute  its  being  the  navel  of  the  earth,  however.  I  have 
too  high  an  opinion  of  respect  for  the  veracity  of  these 
robed  gentlemen  who,  indeed,  and,  in  fact,  with  a  holy 
regard  for  the  truth,  say  it  is  the  navel  of  the  earth. 
It  must  have  been  very  nicely  done  up  and  thoroughly 
disinfected,  for  it  is  a  nice,  pretty  navel.) 

"  Finally,"  says  brother  Thompson,  "  we  reached  the 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  327 

• 

altar  at  the  east  end  without  any  serious  injury  to  the 
living  causeway  which  we  had  traversed,  and  I  had 
time  to  look  about  me.  The  scene  throughout  had  all 
the  interest  of  entire  novelty.  I  was  young  and  fresh 
from  America,  and  was  seized  with  an  almost  irresist- 
ible propensity  to  laugh.  The  noise  was  deafening 
and  there  was  not  the  slightest  approximation  to  devo- 
tion visible,  or  even  possible,  so  far  as  I  could  judge ; 
while  the  attitudes,  costumes,  gestures  and  sounds, 
which  met  the  eye  and  stunned  the  ear  were  infinitely 
strange  and  ludicrous.  Such  splendor,  too,  I  had 
never  seen.  By  the  aid  of  numerous  lamps  the  whole 
church  seemed  to  flash  and  blaze  in  burning  gold.  I 
stood  near  the  altar,  which  was  covered  with  gold  cloth 
and  decorated  with  censers,  golden  candlesticks,  and 
splendid  crucifixes. 

"A  bench  of  bishops  and  priests  filled  the  entire 
space  within  the  railing,  and  two  monks  were  waving, 
or,  more  accurately,  swinging  their  censers  before  them. 
The  '  cloud  of  incense  rose  wreathing  and  circling  to 
the  upper  dome,  diffusing  on  all  sides  a  strong  aro- 
matic odor.' " 

"  After  some  delay  the  whole  priesthood  of  those 
denominations  which  then  united  in  this  ceremony 
were  assembled,  properly  robed  and  fumigated,  and 
with  a  lighted  candle  in  either  hand  stood  ready  for  the 
grand  feat  of  the  day.  In  single  file  seventy  priests 
and  bishops  in  long  robes  of  gold  and  silver  texture 
marched  out  into  the  body  of  the  church  with  solemn 
pomp.  Turkish  officers  went  before,  beating  the  heads 
of  the  crowd  who  bowed  down  as  they  had  done  for  us. 
Slowly  the  gorgeous  procession  worked  its  way  along 
the  north  side,  singing  with  nasal  twang  and  stentorian 


328  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

lungs  harsh  harmony  in  barbarous  Greek.  In  a  few 
minutes  they  returned,  laid  aside  their  robes,  extin- 
guished their  tapers,  and  the  multitude  dispersed,  greatly 
enlightened  by  a  great  number  of  wax  candles,  and 
edified  by  a  devout  manifestation  of  splendid  canon- 
icals." 

In  speaking  of  the  miracle  of  the  Holy  Fire  he  says : 
"  I  will  not  shock  sensibilities  with  details  of  the  buf- 
foonery and  the  profane  orgies  performed  by  the 
Greeks  around  the  tomb  on  the  day  of  holy  fire.  I 
doubt  whether  there  is  anything  more  disgraceful  to 
be  witnessed  in  any  heathen  temple,  nor  are  the  ceremo- 
nies of  the  Roman  Catholic  monks  on  the  night  of  the 
Crucifixion  a  whit  less  distressing  and  offensive.  The 
whole  scene  in  all  its  parts  is  enacted  before  a  strong 
guard  of  Turkish  troops  stationed  all  around,  to  keep 
the  actors  in  this  dismal  tragedy  from  being  assaulted 
by  the  rival  players  in  the  Greek  comedia,  a  precau- 
tion absolutely  necessary,  and  not  always  successful. 
Furious  and  bloody  riots  have  occurred  several  times 
since  I  have  been  in  the  country,  and  many  travelers 
mention  similar  battles  between  the  monks  of  former 
years.  I  was  here  in  1834,  when  several  hundred  pil- 
grims were  crushed  to  death  on  the  day  of  the  holy 
fire. 

"  Khaliff  Hakim  was  told  that  the  priests  used  to 
besmear  the  wire  by  which  the  lamp  was  extended  over 
the  Holy  Sepulchre  with  some  kind  of  resinous  oil  and 
set  it  on  fire  from  the  roof.  Large  sums  of  money  are 
paid  the  priests  by  those  who  are  allowed  to  first  light 
their  lamps  at  the  sacred  flame,  which  they  are  made 
to  believe  to  have  been  miraculously  sent  down  from 
heaven.  The  wild  and  noisy  scene  usually  begins  on 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  329 

Good  Friday.  Large  numbers  pass  the  night  in  the 
church  in  order  to  secure  favorable  positions,  and  to 
hold  them.  Some  tie  themselves  with  cords  to  the 
sepulchre  to  prevent  others  from  pushing  them  to  a 
more  unfavorable  place. 

"  On  Easter  eve,  about  two  P.  M.,  a  procession  of  the 
bishops,  priests  monks,  etc.,  moves  around  the  sepul- 
chre ;  all  lamps  are  put  out  in  full  view  of  the  crowd. 
The  priests  engage  in  loud  chanting  of  prayer,  and  the 
patriarch  enters  the  sepulchre,  while  the  mob,  for  you 
can't  call  them  anything  else,  are  in  the  utmost  sus- 
pense. At  length  the  celestial  fire  gleams  from  the 
sepulchre,  and  the  priests  rush  out  with  bundles  of 
burning  tapers.  And  now  there  is  a  general  knock 
down  and  drag  out  rush,  every  one  trying  to  light  his 
taper. 

"  It  is  easier  to  imagine  such  a  scene  that  follows  than 
to  describe  it.  Candles  are  let  down  by  cords  from  the 
galleries,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  whole  church  is 
illuminated.  Fights  are  frequent,  and  deaths  from 
being  trampled  underfoot  not  un frequent.  In  1834  a 
general  riot  occurred.  The  Turkish  soldiers,  thinking 
they  were  being  attacked,  fired  on  the  pilgrims,  and 
some  three  hundred  persons  were  killed.  It  was  esti- 
mated that  there  were  six  thousand  persons  in  the 
church  on  that  occasion." 

The  fire  obtained  from  this  pious  fraud  is  carried 
thousands  of  miles  to  be  used  in  their  churches  and 
shrines,  being  watched  with  jealous  care  to  prevent  its 
being  extinguished  during  the  year. 

On  one  occasion,  it  is  claimed,  the  fire  ran  along  the 
marble  floor  and  ascended  a  stone  pillar  standing  on  the 
left-hand  side  of  the  doorway.  The  stone  was  said  to 


330  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

have  been  rent  or  cracked  by  the  flame,  and  now,  day 
after  day,  hundreds  of  poor  ignorant  Catholics  go  to 
that  pillar  and  kiss  the  rent  stone.  I  saw  long  strings 
of  men  and  women  kissing  this  pillar  in  turn.  As  fast 
as  one  kissed  the  stone  they  gave  way  to  the  next,  and 
so  on. 

I  know  not  what  others  think,  but  I  do  not  hesitate 
to  say  that,  in  my  judgment,  any  man  or  set  of  men  who 
would  resort  to  such  fraudulent  means  as  this  to  obtain 
a  following,  and  to  extort  money  from  the  poor 
and  ignorant  classes  of  mankind  under  the  garb  of 
religion,  are  worse  than  the  thief  or  the  midnight 
assassin.  If  that  fire  came  from  heaven,  it  would  con- 
sume not  only  this  den  of  thieves,  but  the  hypocritical 
host  of  robed  villains  that  play  their  nefarious  game  of 
fraud  and  deception  at  its  numerous  altars. 


AND   THE   HOLT    LAND. 


CHAPTEK  XIII. 

A  FEW  rods  southeast  of  the  Church  of  the  Sepul- 
chre are  the  ruins  of  the  hospital  of  St.  John, 
called  by  some  "Knights  of  St.  John."  The  place  is 
now  called  Muriston.  Two  hospitals  were  built  upon 
this  locality  in  the  eleventh  century  for  the  reception 
of  Christian  pilgrims. 

In  1869  these  ruins,  or  at  least  a  part  of  them,  were 
given  by  the  Sultan  of  Turkey  to  the  Crown  Prince  of 
Prussia,  who  had  excavations  made  which,  at  a  depth 
of  fifty  feet  below  the  present  level  of  the  surface, 
brought  to  view  the  old  Roman  pavement  of  the 
streets,  cisterns,  etc.;  proving  conclusively  that  the 
modern  city  is  now  from  twenty  to  fifty  feet  above  the 
old  Jerusalem  of  the  days  of  the  Savior. 

Now,  all  this  seems  very  strange,  that  is,  that,  not- 
withstanding these  people,  and  the  thousands  upon 
thousands  of  pilgrims  who  visit  Jerusalem  annually,  can 
see  for  themselves  that  the  rubbish  which  has  been 
gradually  accumulating  over  the  site  of  the-old  city  for 
the  past  eighteen  hundred  years,  has  long  since  buried 
forever  out  of  sight  the  streets,  the  sites  of  houses,  and 
other  places  which  might  have  been  regarded  as  sacred 
in  consequence  of  the  very  associations  which  render 
these  invented  places  objects  of  idolatry,  they  still 
continue  to  revere  and  represent  these  as  the  true 
and  holy  places. 

"  I  am  sure  no  one  of  all  these  places  which  I  have 
endeavored  to  name  and  describe  can  truthfully  be 

331 


332  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

associated,  even  in  the  most  remote  degree,  with  any 
act  of  our  Savior." 

Now,  I  ask  the  reader  to  read  again  the  above 
expression,  for  I  heartily,  sincerely  and  conscientiously 
believe  it  to  be  true ,  and  more,  I  believe  every  intelli- 
gent priest,  monk,  abbott,  or  other  religious  leader  in 
Jerusalem  believes  and  knows  the  same  thing. 

In  my  humble  opinion  these,  like  many  other  places 
which  might  have  become  places  of  idolatrous  worship, 
have  been  buried  in  oblivion,  never  to  be  made  known 
until  God  sees  fit  to  reveal  them.  The  same  watchful 
care  which  has  concealed  from  the  knowledge  of  man  the 
last  resting-place  of  Moses,  Joshua,  John  the  Baptist, 
Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus  and  other  illustrious  script- 
ural characters  has  wisely  and  graciously  interposed  to 
save  his  people  from  idolatry,  and  doubtless  for  good 
asd  wise  purposes  has  hid  forever  the  instruments  of 
our  Savior's  passion  ;  also  the  spot  where  his  Cruci- 
fixion took  place,  the  tomb  in  which  his  body  lay  for 
three  days  and  nights  and  from  which  he  arose  to  life 
again,  and  the  place  from  which  he  ascended  to  the 
heavenly  Jerusalem. 

"  And  since  God  has  concealed  the  realities  we  have 
no  need  of  all  these  fictitious  shams,"  by  which  the  igno- 
rant and  unlearned  are  deceived  and  imposed  upon  to 
a  pitiable  extent.  But  there  are  other  places  in  this 
city  of  David  to  which  I  must  take  you  before  we  take 
a  stroll  around  its  walls. 

Since  these  places  are  located  in  the  southwestern 
part  of  the  city  we  will  go  south  down  the  western 
wall,  which  you  observe  runs  -a  little  east  of  south, 
the  south  wall  being  the  shortest  wall  on  the  four 
sides  of  the  city.  After  going  about  half  the  length 


AND   THE    HOLT    LAND.  333 

of  the  western  wall  we  come  to  the  Joppa  gate.  We 
go  through  this  gate  and  enter  Zion  street.  On  our 
right  near  the  gate  rises  the  tower  of  David,  the  strong- 
hold of  Zion.  David  was  anointed  king  of  Israel  at 
Hebron,  and  when  he  and  his  men  went  up  to  Jerusa- 
lem tjie  Jebusites  spoke  unto  David,  saying :  "Except 
thou  take  away  the  blind  and  lame  thou  shalt  not  come 
in  hither."  The  Jebusites  depended  upon  this  tower 
and  the  natural  defenses  of  the  city  of  Jerusalem;  it 
being  surrounded  by  deep  ravines  and  perched  upon 
high  hills  was  thought  by  the  Jebusites  to  be  impreg- 
nable, and  could  be  defended  by  the  blind  and  the 
lame.  "  Nevertheless  David  took  the  stronghold  of 
Zion:  the  same  is  the  city  of  David." 

This  city  of  David,  or  stronghold  of  Zion,  consisted 
of  an  irregular  group  of  five  square  stone  towers.  In 
the  olden  times  it  was  surrounded  by  a  moat  or  trench, 
and  a  part  of  this  can  now  be  seen.  The  chief  or  prin- 
cipal tower  up  to  a  height  of  about  forty  feet  is  built 
of  large  stone,  some  of  them  ten  feet  in  length  and  from 
three  to  four  in  thickness,  showing  a  rough  face.  The 
form  and  size  of  the  stone  indicate  that  this  much,  at 
least,  of  the  old  tower  is  very  ancient.  Above  this  the 
finish  of  the  stone  and  the  workmanship  are  different. 
When  Titus  captured  Jerusalem  and  utterly  destroyed 
it  he  left  this  tower  standing  untouched  and  unharmed. 

When  Jerusalem  was  taken  by  the  Franks  this 
castle  was  the  last  place  to  yield,  and  at  that  period  it 
was  called  the  "  City  of  David,"  from  a  tradition  that 
David  had  his  palace  there.  This  is  one  of  the  interest- 
ing landmarks  of  the  city,  situated  as  it  is  on  the  ridge 
which  was  called  Mount  Zion.  These  so  called  mounts, 
such  as  Mount  Zion,  Mount  Moriah,  Mount  of  Olives, 


334  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

etc.,  are  not,  as  one  might  suppose,  sugar  loaf  in  form, 
but  they  are  what  would  be  called  high  mountain 
ridges.  Mount  Olivet,  for  instance,  north  and  south  is 
half  or  three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  length.  Mount  Zion 
was  separated  from  Mount  Moriah  by  the  Tyropean 
valley. 

*/  • 

From  the  top  of  this  tower  it  was  said  the  mountains 
of  Moab  beyond  the  Dead  Sea  may  be  seen,  and  also 
the  lower  part  of  the  Dead  Sea.  On  the  opposite  side 
of  Zion  street  (remember  we  are  just  inside  the  Joppa 
gate)  is  a  large  modern  building,  the  foundations  of 
which  were  laid  in  1885.  When  the  deep  excavations 
were  made  they  came  to  the  tower  of  Hananeel,  and  a 
part  of  the  foundation  of  the  present  building  rests 
upon  the  foundation  walls  of  that  tower. 

Now  let  me  call  your  attention  to  this  prophecy 
made  600  B.  C.  It  reads :  "  Behold  the  days  come, 
saith  the  Lord,  that  the  city  shall  be  built  to  the  Lord 
from  the  tower  of  Hananeel  unto  the  gate  of  the 
corner.  And  the  whole  valley  of  the  dead  bodies  and 
of  the  ashes  and  all  the  fields  unto  the  brook  Kedron, 
unto  the  corner  of  the  horse  gate  towards  the  east  shall 
be  holy  unto  the  Lord.  It  shall  not  be  plucked  up  nor 
thrown  down  any  more  forever." 

The  excavations  made  for  the  foundations  of  this 
structure,  the  first  first-class  building  in  Jerusalem 
which  is  non-sacerdotal,  determined  and  located  on  the 
ground  one  of  the  corners  or  starting-points  given  in 
the  above  prophecy.  That  this  prophecy  is  being  ful- 
filled, one  has  but  to  notice  how  all  the  modern  improve- 
ments and  buildings  start  from  this  locality,  and  a 
street  running  from  the  Joppa  gate  as  far  as  the  hotel 
at  the  northwest  corner  of  the  wall  of  the  city  is  now 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  335 

built  up  with  shops  on  both  sides,  and  a  lively  trade 
carried  on,  while  residences  extend  beyond  both  north 
and  west.  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  ere  long  these 
improvements  will  be  extended  even  to  the  horse  gate 
and  the  old  location  of  the  horse  gate  be  thus  shown 
and  determined,  for  no  one  at  this  time  knows  where 
the  horse  gate  spoken  of  in  the  prophecy  was  located. 
Another  prophecy  made  487  B.  C.  says,  in  speaking  of 
Jerusalem,  "  that  it  shall  be  lifted  up  and  inhabited  in 
her  place  from  Benjamin's  gate  unto  the  place  of  the 
first  gate,  unto  the  corner  gate  and  from  the  tower  of 
Hananeel  unto  the  king's  wine-presses,  and  men  shall 
dwell  in  it  and  there  shall  be  no  more  utter  destruction, 
but  Jerusalem  shall  be  safely  inhabited." 

These  two  prophecies,  one  made  six  hundred  years 
before  the  time  of  Christ,  and  the  other  487  B.C.,  are 
verily  being  fulfilled  at  the  present  time,  at  least  as 
regards  the  building  up  of  Jerusalem  from  the  tower 
of  Hananeel,  and  also  as  to  its  being  safely  inhabited. 
In  fact,  commencing  at  the  tower  of  Hananeel,  just 
inside  the  Joppa  gate,  as  I  have  just  shown,  one  can 
pass  over  the  hills  Gareb  and  Goath  to  the  king's  wine- 
presses, which  are  still  to  be  seen,  and  are  a  well- 
preserved  boundary  mark,  as  mentioned  in  the  proph- 
ecy, as  well  as  a  witness  to  its  fulfillment.  Then 
pass  along  the  valley  of  dead  bodies  over  to  the 
ash  heap  and  down  the  Kedron  valley  to  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  city  wall;  within  these  boundaries,  as  laid 
down  in  the  prophecies,  nine-tenths  of  the  modern  per- 
manent buildings  and  improvements  are  now  embraced. 

We  now  follow  Zion  street  further  down  and  soon 
come  to  a  very  large  building  said  to  be  one  of  the  larg- 
est in  the  city.  This  is  the  Armenian  convent.  It  is 


336  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

said  to  hold  eight  thousand  pilgrims.  "Within  this 
building  we  are  shown  the  church  of  St.  James,  which 
is  said  to  mark  the  site  where  he  was  killed  by  Herod. 
"Now  about  that  time  Herod,  the  king,  stretched 
forth  his  hand  to  vex  certain  of  the  church,  and  he 
killed  James,  the  brother  of  John,  with  the  sword." 
In  this  church  we  are  shown  his  tomb  and  chair,  also 
three  stones,  one  taken  from  Sinai  where  Moses  received 
the  law,  one  from  the  midst  of  the  Jordan  where  the 
Israelites  crossed  and  Jesus  was  baptized,  and  the  third 
from  Mt.  Tabor,  where  some  think  the  transfiguration 
took  place.  The  end  of  each  stone  is  left  uncovered 
that  pilgrims  may  kiss  them.  These  pilgrims  to  Jeru- 
salem, as  well  as  the  resident  so-called  "  Christians,"  are 
the  greatest  kissing  people  you  ever  saw.  They  kiss 
everything  from  Golgotha  to  the  navel  of  the  earth. 

Continuing  along  Zion  street  and  passing  out  at  the 
south  gate,  which  leads  out  of  the  city,  through  the 
south  wall,  we  find  about  half  of  Zion  hill,  outside  and 
south  of  the  south  wall  of  the  city.  The  south  wall 
is  the  shortest  of  the  four  sides,  as  before  stated.  Just 
after  passing  through  the  Zion  gate  we  come  to  an  old 
building  called  the  palace  of  Caiaphas,  where  it  is  said 
the  "  Savior  was  brought  before  the  high  priest,  scribes 
and  elders."  "And  they  that  laid  hold  on  Jesus  led  him 
away  to  Caiaphas.  the  high  priest,  where  the  scribes 
and  elders  were  assembled." 

Again  we  read :  "  And  as  Peter  was  beneath  in  the 
palace  there  cometh  one  of  the  maids  of  the  high  priest ; 
the  maid,  looking  at  Peter,  said,  "Thou  also  wast  with 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  ; "  but  Peter  shook  his  head  and  pre- 
tended not  to  know  what  she  was  talking  about  and 
denied  being  with  him.  Poor,  self-confident  Peter. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  337 

His  courage  failed  him  at  that  critical  moment.  "  And 
the  cock  crew."  I  know  Peter  wished  in  his  heart  that 
he  had  hold  of  that  old  rooster  by  the  neck  to  wring 
his  head  off.  And  a  maid  saw  him  again  and,  anxious 
to  play  a  part  in  this  exciting  trial,  she,  too,  said, 
"  This  is  one  of  them."  But  Peter  having  told  a  "  yarn  " 
he  bravely  stuck  to  it  and  denied  it  again.  By  this 
time  these  officious  maids,  women-like,  had  excited  the 
attention  of  the  bystanders  who  said,  "  Surely  thou  art 
one  of  them,  for  thy  speech  betray eth  thee."  You 
can't  go  back  on  your  tribe  and  country,  Peter. 

I  imagine  Peter  was  very  mad  by  this  time,  for  he 
began  to  say  curse  words  and  swore  by  all  that  was 
good  and  bad  that  he  didn't  know  the  man.  The 
second  time  the  same  old  rooster  crowed  again,  which 
lifted  Peter  out  of  his  boots  and  sent  a  pang  of  shame 
and  remorse  to  his  troubled  conscience  for  Peter  called 
to  mind  the  words  that  Jesus  said  unto  him  :  u  Before 
the  cock  crows  twice  thou  shalt  deny  me  thrice."  Now, 
Peter,  what  can  you  say  to  this,  what  do  you  propose 
to  do  ?  Jesus  told  you  that  you  would  deny  him  thrice 
before  the  cock  crew  twice,  but  you  said  :  "  If  I  should 
die  with  thee,  I  would  not  deny  thee  in  any  wise." 
And  Peter  was  not  alone  in  making  this  pledge  of  fidel- 
ity. "  For  they  all  said  so  likewise." 

Peter  and  all  the  others  doubtless  thought  they 
would  do  just  what  they  said  they  would  ;  but  poor, 
fallen  human  nature  often  makes  us  do  what  we  didn't 
intend  doing  and  what  in  our  hearts  we  don't  want  to 
do.  Paul  puts  it  about  right  when  he  says,  "  For  that 
I  do  I  allow  not,  for  what  I  would  that  do  I  not,  but 
what  I  hate  that  do  I." 

I  think  if  there  ever  was  a  man  excusable  for  swear- 


338  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

ing  a  little  when  he  was  mad,  it  was  Peter,  for  every- 
body knows  that  if  there  is  any  thing  in  this  wide  world 
of  ours  that  can  make  a  man  cuss  it  is  a  provoking 
woman,  and  from  the  narrative  given  us  of  this  circum- 
stance there  were  several  of  Caiaphas'  long-tongued 
meddlesome  maids  worrying  the  very  life  out  of 
brother  Peter. 

Now,  it  is  not  my  intention  to  make  a  joke  of  this 
matter,  but  Peter  was  a  man  having  like  passions  as 
other  men,  and  every  honest,  sincere  man  is  ready  to 
acknowledge  his  fault.  Peter  did  wrong,  and  he  knew 
it.  How  many  of  us  do  as  Peter  did,  go  out  and  weep 
over  the  frailties  of  our  human  nature,  our  shortcom- 
ings, open  violation  of  God's  law  and  our  broken  vows. 

In  this  building  they  show  you  where  Christ  was  in 
the  prison  and  where  Peter  stood  when  the  cock  crew, 
and  the  stone  which  closed  the  sepulchre  door. 

Not  far  from  the  palace  of  Caiaphas  is  a  cluster  or 
group  of  buildings,  over  one  of  which  is  a  black  dome. 
This  is  said  to  be  over  the  tomb  of  David,  Solomon, 
Jeroboam  and  other  kings  of  Israel.  "  So  David  slept 
with  his  fathers,  and  was  buried  in  the  city  of  David." 
Josephus  tells  us  that  David  was  buried  by  his  son. 
Sole  mon  in  Jerusalem.  When  we  enter  this  house  we 
are  conducted  to  a  large  upper  room  called  the  Caena- 
culum,  a  room  fifty  feet  long  and  thirty  wide.  As 
early  as  the  fourth  century  this  has  been  pointed  out  as 
the  place  where  the  apostles  were  assembled  on  the  day 
of  Pentecost.  It  is  a  large  stone  building,  and  doesn't 
seem  now  to  be  much  used. 

Peter  acquitted  himself  like  a  man  to  whose  heart 
had  been  "restored  the  joys  of  salvation"  on  that 
occasion,  and  in  his  sermon  he  referred  to  the  tomb  of 


AND   THE    HOLT    LAND.  339 

David  as  being  with  them.  He  said:  "Men  and 
brethren,  let  me  freely  speak  unto  you  of  the  patriarch 
David,  that  he  is  both  dead,  and  buried,  and  his  sepul- 
chre is  with  us  unto  this  day/' 

That  was  the  grandest  sermon  Peter,  or  any  of  the 
apostles,  or  any  of  their  successors,  have  ever  preached 
from  that  day  to  this,  all  the  surroundiug  circumstances 
being  taken  into  consideration.  Peter  even  beat  our 
fashionable  modern  evangelists,  who  have  reduced  the 
making  of  church  members  to  a  science.  Peter  was  not 
preaching  to  make  church  members,  mind  you.  His 
doctrine  was  of  a  different  kind.  He  cried  out  in  all 
sincerity  and  from  the  depths  of  a  genuinely  converted 
heart,  "Save  yourselves  from  this  untoward  generation. 
And  they  that  gladly  received  his  word  were  baptized. 
And  the  Lord  added  to  the  church  daily  such  as  should 
be  saved."  I  suppose  here  is  where  the  great  mistake 
is  made.  We  are  told  the  Lord  added  to  the  church 
daily  such  as  should  be  saved,  or  the  saved.  And  we 
are  further  told  that  they  remained  steadfastly  in  the 
apostles'  doctrine  and  fellowship,  etc.  Unfortunately 
very  few,  lamentably  few.  of  our  modern  church  mem- 
bers added  by  fashionable  evangelistic  work  "  remain 
steadfastly  in  the  apostles'  doctrine  and  fellowship." 

In  this  room  the  Koman  Catholics  at  stated  times 
wash  the  feet  of  pilgrims,  as  they  maintain  that  here 
the  Savior  washed  the  disciples'  feet.  Before  hearing 
this  I  had  thought  it  possible  at  least  that  this  might 
be  the  room  in  which  the  supper  was  instituted,  but 
now  I  have  changed  my  opinion.  I  would  like  to 
believe  what  these  robed,  sanctified  hypocrites,  these 
designing  frauds,  say,  but,  to  tell  the  truth,  would  spoil 
their  trade,  and  they  never  do  it. 


340  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

Now,  reader,  if  in  your  imagination  you  have  kept 
with  me,  you  will  see  that  this  part,  the  ridge  of 
Mt.  Zion,  is  not  as  wide  as  that  within  the  city  walls. 

We  will  now  turn  east  and  descend  the  eastern  slope 
of  Mt.  Zion  and  re-enter  the  city  by  the  dung  gate, 
spoken  of  by  Nehemiah  3:13.  A  short  distance  from 
this  gate  we  come  to  the  southwest  corner  of  the  temple 
area.  I  bring  you  here  to  show  you,  first,  those  large 
stones  in  the  temple  wall.  Some  of  them  measure 
thirty-eight  feet  in  length,  three  and  one-half  feet  deep 
and  seven  feet  high.  You  see  that  they  are  now  near 
the  present  surface  of  the  ground,  but  they  are  seventy- 
five  feet  above  the  foundation  of  the  wall.  The  wall 
was  originally  set  into  the  side  of  the  mountain  near 
the  bottom,  I  suppose,  or  it  may  have  been  on  a  level 
with  the  bottom  of  the  Tyropean  valley.  You  see 
how  this  valley  has  filled  in. 

Near  these  stones  was  discovered  what  is  called 
Robinson's  arch.  This  was  a  bridge  connecting  Mt. 
Zion  with  the  temple.  A  short  distance  northward  is 
the  wailing  place  of  the  Jews ;  this  part  of  the  wall  is 
the  nearest  to  the  tern  pie  that  is  accessible  to  them. 

The  Jews  resort  to  this  place  every  evening,  but  in 
greater  numbers  on  Friday  afternoons  between  three 
and  five  o'clock.  Here  you  will  see  numbers  of  them 
of  all  ages  and  both  sexes.  It  is  really  pitiful  to  see 
these  old,  long-bearded  men,  barefooted,  many  of  them 
dressed  in  rags  and  skins,  bewailing  the  desolation  of 
Israel  and  Jerusalem  and  praying  for  deliverance. 

They  put  their  faces  in  the  crevices  of  the  cold 
unfeeling  stone,  and  weep,  and  moan,  with  tears  chas- 
ing each  other  down  their  wan,  furrowed  cheeks.  On 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  341 

certain  occasions,  an  old  man  as  a  leader  will  sing  aloud 
in  the  Hebrew  tongue : 

LEADER  — For  the  place  that  lies  desolate 

ALL  THE  OTHERS  RESPONDING. — We  sit  in  solitude  and 
mourn. 

LEADER. — For  the  palace  that  is  destroyed 

RESPONSE. — We  sit  in  solitude  and  mourn. 

LEADER. — For  the  walls  that  are  overthrown 

RESPONSE. — We  set  in  solitude  and  mourn. 

LEADER. — For  our  majesty  that  is  departed 

RESPONSE.  —We  sit  in  solitude  and  mourn. 

LEADER. — For  our  great  men  that  lie  dead 

RESPONSE. — We  sit  in  solitude  and  mourn. 

LEADER. — For  the  precious  stones  that  are  buried 

RESPONSE. — We  sit  in  solitude  and  mourn. 

LEADER. — For  the  priests  who  have  stumbled 

RESPONSE. — We  sit  in  solitude. 

Another  of  these  wailing  prayers  is  as  follows : 

LEADER. — We  pray  thee  have  mercy  on  Zion. 

RESPONSE. — Gather  the  children  of  Jerusalem. 

LEADER. — Haste  !  Haste !  Redeemer  of  Zion. 

RESPONSE. — Speak  to  the  heart  of  Jerusalem. 

LEADER. — May  beauty  and  majesty  surround  Zion. 

RESPONSE. — Oh  !  turn  thyself  mercifully  to  Jerusalem. 

LEADER. — May  the  kingdom  soon  return  to  Zion. 

RESPONSE.— Comfort  those  who  mourn  over  Jerusalem. 

LEADER. — May  peace  and  joy  abide  with  Zion. 

RESPONSE. — And  the  branch-  (of  Jesse)  spring  up  at 
Jerusalem. 

It  is  enough  to  stir  the  emotional  part  of  any  one  to 
see  these  old  Jews,  whom  we  imagine  resemble  Abra- 
ham, Isaac  and  Jacob,  praying  and  longing  for  their 
long-promised  Messiah,  their  deliverer  and  their  king. 


342  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

Looking  forward  to  his  coming  as  earnestly  and  sin- 
cerely as  they  did  in  the  days  of  the  advent  of  the 
Savior,  never  considering  or  believing  that  "He  came 
unto  his  own  and  his  own  received  him  not." 

Now,  as  we  wind  our  way  back  through  these  narrow 
crooked  streets,  see  what  poverty  and  degradation  exist 
among  this  people  Look  in  at  the  low  doors  of  their 
mud-besmeared  houses,  see  how  bare  and  destitute  of 
all  household  furniture,  how  filthy  the  bare  dirt  floors 
look.  See  the  people,  how  old,  pinched  and  dried  up 
their  countenances  are,  both  Jews  and  Arabs.  You  see 
the  Arabs  are  of  every  hue  except  fair.  The  majority 
of  them  are  light  yellow,  but  many  of  them  are  very 
dark  skinned. 

The  Armenians  wear  their  hair  cut  short  on  the  back 
of  their  heads,  with  long  locks  hanging  down  in  front 
of  their  ears.  "When  I  was  a  boy  some  people  wore 
their  hair  cut  in  that  style,  and  we  called  it  "  soap 
locks.". 

Here  you  see  a  man  measuring  grain.  You  see  he 
gives  the  scriptural  measure,  "  pressed  down,  piled  up, 
and  running  over."  This  grain  is  in  a  small  room,  at 
the  back  of  which,  in  a  cellar,  is  a  rude,  horse  mill. 
The  screeching  lever  is  drawn  slowly  around  by  an  old 
blind  horse.  This  mill  is  something  extraordinary — 
for  these  people — and  the  miller  takes  great  pride  in 
showing  a  stranger  through  his  mill  and  explaining  the 
machinery,  which  comprises  a  main  upright  shaft,  and 
two  of  the  rudest  and  roughest  wheels  possible.  But 
this  beats  the  hand  mills,  which  are  almost  universally 
used  in  the  country.  Here  you  see  the  same  little 
shops,  and  all  kinds  of  work  carried  on  in  them  and  on 
the  streets,  just  as  we  saw  in  Cairo.  Nearly  all  these 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  343 

shops  have  from  eight  to  ten  and  twelve  feet  front,  and 
vary  in  depth  from  four  to  ten  and  twelve  feet.  The 
tradesmen  seem  to  be  using  in  nearly  all  instances 
second-hand  material.  The  tinners  are  using  old  oil- 
cans, out  of  which  to  make  their  ware.  The  saddlers 
are  repairing  old  saddles  or  second-hand  harness,  and 
so  on  through  nearly  all  the  trades. 

In  Cairo,  however,  we  saw  in  the  European  part  of 
the  city  nice  mercantile  houses  such  as  we  see  in  our 
own  cities,  but  here  they  are  all  small  and  second  or 
third  rate  in  every  respect.  Jerusalem  has  been  a 
Moslem  or  Mohammedan  city  ever  since  1224,  and  pro- 
gress is  contrary  to  their  nature  and  disposition.  They 
have  no  water  works,  gas  works,  or  street  railway  in  the 
city;  no  architectural  skill  displayed  in  the  erection  of 
their  buildings  ;  in  fact,  everything  plods  along  just  as 
it  did  centuries  ago. 

Reader,  if  you  will  accompany  me,  we  will  now  visit 
one  of  the  most  intensely  interesting  localities  in  the 
world,  the  Mosque  of  Omar,  the  site  of  Solomon's 
temple.  The  summit  of  Mt.  Moriah  has  been  conse- 
crated to  the  worship  of  God  since  the  days  of  Abra- 
ham, for  we  read  in  the  scriptures  that  God  tried 
Abraham  and  said  unto  him,  "Abraham,"  and  Abra- 
ham answered  when  he  was  called,  not  when  someone 
else  was  called,  nor  did  he  answer  till  he  was  called, 
then  he  said,  "  Behold,  here  I  am/' 

Now,  reader,  if  you  are  a  father  or  mother  and  have  a 
son,  a  bright,  sweet  little  fellow  that  plays  around 
your  hearthstone,  whose  innocent  prattle  and  merry 
laugh  is  music  to  your  ears  from  morning  till  night, 
and  from  day  to  day,  the  bright  sunbeam  that  enlivens 
and  brightens  the  darkest  days  and  saddest  hours  of 


344  TBAVELS  IN  EGYPT 

your  life ;  this  God-given  treasure  dropped  down  from 
heaven  to  cheer,  comfort  and  solace  you  in  old  age, 
around  whom  the  most  endearing  emotions  that  ever 
thrilled  your  heart  are  entwined ;  I  say.  put  yourself 
in  Abraham's  place  and  listen  to  what  God  says:  "Take 
now  thy  son,  thine  only  son  Isaac  whom  thou  lovest, 
and  get  thee  into  the  land  of  Moriah  and  offer  him 
there  for  a  burnt  offering  upon  one  of  the  mountains 
which  I  will  tell  thee  of."  Abraham  lived  down  at 
Beer-sheba  when  God  told  him  this.  And  what  did 
he  do? 

Father,  mother,  what  would  you  have  done  ?  Could 
you  have  acted  under  the  circumstances  as  did  this 
faithful  man  of  God  ?  -  Ask  your  own  heart. 

He  rose  up  early  in  the  morning  and  saddled  his 
donkey  and  took  two  of  his  young  men  with  him  and 
his  son  Isaac,  and  split  up  the  wood  for  the  burnt  offer- 
ing. I  imagine  old  Abraham — for  he  was  an  hundred 
years  old  when  the  boy  was  born — made  the  two 
young  men  cut  and  split  that  wood.  The  strokes  of 
the  ax  even  then,  no  doubt,  fell  upon  his  ear  like  the 
funeral  notes  of  a  tolling  bell.  "On  the  third  day 
Abraham  lifted  up  his  eyes  and  saw  the  place  afar  off.'* 
No  doubt  this  father's  heart,  like  his  eyes,  had  been 
cast  down,  often  looking  at  the  features  of  his  beloved 
boy  that  he  might  have  his  image  indelibly  stamped 
upon  his  mind  so  that  he  could  comfort  his  heart-broken 
mother  when  he  returned  without  her  darling  boy,  by 
telling  her  how  he  looked  and  repeat  to  her  his  innocent 
prattle  on  the  way. 

My  whole  heart  goes  out  in  sympathy  for  this  old 
heart-broken  father  as  he  journeyed  these  three  days 
along  this  lonely  road.  The  sunbeams  of  joy  and  glad- 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  345 

ness  are  leaving  his  heart  and  their  place  is  being 
filled  with  sadness  and  sorrow.  But  who  can  tell  his 
thoughts?  Who  can  tell  what  mountains  of  sorrow 
filled  his  soul,  or  what  flashes  of  hope  may  have  flitted 
through  his  mind  when  he  recalled  the  promises  of 
God  that  Sarah,  his  wife,  should  be  a  "  mother  of 
nations,"  and  with  Isaac  he  would  establish  his  cove- 
nant for  an  everlasting  covenant?  We  are  told  that  "with- 
out faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  God."  What  a  test 
of  faith  is  here  given  us.  How  many  could  do  as  did  this 
old  man,  this  aged  father,  this  faithful  servant  of  God? 

Upon  the  summit  of  Mt.  Moriah  is  a  large  stone 
called  Es-sakh-ra.  This  rock  is  fifty-seven  feet  long, 
forty-three  wide,  and  rises  six  and  one-half  feet  above 
the  surrounding  pavement. 

There  is  no  mention  of  this  sacrificial  rock  in  the 
Old  Testament.  The  earliest  mention  of  it  is  to  be  found 
in  the  Jewish  traditions  and  also  in  the  Jewish  inter- 
pretations of  the  Old  Testament.  According  to  Jewish 
tradition,  upon  this  rock  which,  as  before  stated,  crowns 
the  summit  of  Mt.  Moriah,  Abraham  was  on  the  point 
of  sacrificing  his  spn  Isaac.  And  it  is  furthur  said  that 
Melchizedek  sacrificed  here.  "  The  attempt,  however, 
to  identify  Jerusalem  with  the  ancient  Salem,  the  city 
of  Melchizedec,  for  several  reasons  has  been  far  from 
successful.  The  Ark  of  the  Covenant  is  said  to  have 
rested  here,  and  after  that  to  have  been  concealed  here 
by  the  prophet  Jeremiah,  and  it  is  even  now  claimed 
to  be  buried  somewhere  beneath  this  rock. 

"  On  tnis  rock  was  written  the  Shem-ham-pho-rash, 
the  great  and  unspeakable  name  of  God."  Another 
question  connected  with  this  rock  and  one  which 
interests  my  masonic  brethren  is,  can  this  rock  be  con- 


346  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

nected  with  the  "  Holy  of  Holies  ?  "  Some  investiga- 
tors of  the  matter  say  not.  Others  affirm  that  the 
great  sacrificial  altar  stood  here,  and  they  have  discov- 
ered on  the  rock  what  they  believe  to  be  traces  of  a 
channel  for  carrying  off  the  blood,  water  for  flushings, 
etc.,  into  the  valley  of  Kedron.  "When  we  descend 
(which  we  can  do  by  some  rude  stone  steps)  to  the  cavern 
or  grotto  beneath  the  rock,  we  find  by  stamping  the 
floor  of  the  cavern  that  the  ground  below  is  hollow. 
This,  it  is  claimed,  is  an  underground  acqueduct  for 
carrying  off  the  blood  of  the  sacrifices,  and  also  the 
water  necessarily  used  for  cleansing  the  altar.  In  the 
rock  overhead  is  a  round  hole,  and  it  has  been  suggested 
that  this  cavern  or  artificial  excavation  was  intended 
for  a  cistern;  but  if  so,  what  of  the  well  or  hollow 
ground  beneath  ?  The  cistern  evidently  could  hold  no 
water,  as  it  would  be  carried  off  into  the  crevices  of 
rock  beneath.  There  can  be  no  question  as  to  Mt. 
Moriah  being  the  location  upon  which  Solomon  built 
his  temple.  When  David  took  it  into  his  head  against 
the  advice  of  Joab,  the  captain  of  the  hosts  of  Israel, 
to  number  Israel  and  Judah,  he  proceeded  to  do  it  in 
spite  of  advice  to  the  contrary.  David  soon  realized, 
however,  that  he  had  acted  very  foolishly,  and  prayed 
the  Lord  to  forgive  or  take  away  his  iniquity  for  so 
doing.  As  a  punishment  for  his  presumption  the  Lord 
sent  Gad,  David's  seer,  to  him  and  told  Gad  to  tell 
him,  "  I  offer  him  choice  between  three  punishments. 
I  will  send  seven  years  famine  upon  the  land,  or  I 
will  make  theeto  flee  three  months  before  thine  ene- 
mies, or  I  will  send  three  days  pestilence  in  the  land. 
Now  choose  ye  one  of  them."  David  fully  realized 
that  he  had  done  wrong  and  that  he  had  gotten  him- 


AND  THE  HOLY   LAND.  347 

self  into  a  bad  scrape,  but  finally  concluded  to  throw 
himself  upon  the  mercy  of  the  Lord,  wisely  preferring 
to  trust  to  the  mercy  of  the  Lord  than  that  of  man. 
It  appears  that  man's  inhumanity  to  man  was  as  well 
known  in  those  days  as  it  is  now.  "  So  the  Lord  sent 
a  pestilence  upon  Israel  from  the  morning  even  to  the 
time  appointed,  and  the  people  died  from  Dan  to  Beer- 
sheba." 

And  when  David  saw  what  had  befallen  the  people 
on  account  of  his  own  act  of  disobedrence  he  had  the 
manliness  to  say  that  he  was  the  guilty  one.  David  did 
not  do  in  this  instance  like  the  great  majority  of  us 
do,  try  to  pack  off  his  sins  and  meanness  on  some  one 
else.  He  was  even  more  manly  than  Adam,  who  tried 
to  avoid  the  responsibility  of  his  act  of  disobedience  by 
laying  it  on  his  wife,  Eve.  When  the  Lord  called 
Adam,  and  asked  him,  "  Hast  thou  eaten  of  the  tree 
whereof  I  commanded  thee  that  thou  shouldst  not 
eat  ? "  what  a  mean,  cowardly  answer  he  made :  "  The 
woman  whom  thou  gavest  me,  she  gave  me  of  the  tree 
and  I  did  eat."  Is  it  any  wonder  that  mankind  are  as 
mean  and  unprincipled,  as  we  know  them  to  be,  when 
we  find  our  first  great-grandfather,  the  progenitor  of 
the  race,  guilty  of  as  mean  a  trick  as  this,  and  that,  too, 
while  he  was  yet  in  Paradise !  Shame  on  you,  Adam, 
for  treating  our  grandmother  in  any  such  style  ! 

I  knew  a  man  once  who  came  in  and  raised  a  quarrel 
with  his  wife  because  an  old  sow  had  died  and  left 
some  motherless  pigs  ;  blamed  his  wife  for  it ;  said  she 
ought  to  have  fed  the  sow,  when  the  truth  of  the  mat- 
ter was,  he,  himself,  was  too  stingy  to  give  the  sow  a 
few  ears  of  corn. 

David  didn't  act  that  way.    "  So  Gad  came  that  day 


348  TKAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

to  David  and  said  unto  him,  Go  up,  rear  an  altar  unto 
the  Lord  in  the  threshing  floor  of  Araunah,  the  Jebu- 
site."  David  did  as  Gad  advised  him  to  do.  He 
bought  the  threshing  floor  and  Araunab's  oxen  for  fifty 
sheckles  of  silver,  and  built  an  altar  unto  the  Lord  and 
offered  burnt  offerings,  and  peace  offerings,  and  the 
plague  or  pestilence  was  stayed  from  Israel. 

The  scriptures  tell  us  further,  in  regard  to  this  local- 
ity, "  that  Solomon  began  to  build  a  house  of  the  Lord 
at  Jerusalem  in  Mt.  Moriah,  where  the  Lord  appeared 
unto  David,  his  father,  in  the  place  that  David  had 
prepared,  in  the  threshing  floor  of  Araunah,  the  Jebu- 
site."  All  fliis,  it  occurs  to  me,  identifies  the  locality 
with  sufficient  clearness,  to  say  that  Solomon's  temple, 
the  grandest  and  most  magnificent,  as  well  as  the  most 
beautiful,  little  structure  ever  erected  by  human  hands, 
once  graced  the  summit  of  Mt.  Moriah  and  inclosed 
within  its  sacred  precincts  this  far-famed  es-sakh-ra 
(sacred  rock).  This  temple  of  King  Solomon's  was 
only  about  one  hundred  and  ten  feet  long,  thirty-six 
wide  and  fifty -five  high. 

The  long  sojourn  of  the  Jews  in  Egypt,  and  the  fact 
that  they  were  employed  in  making  brick,  dressing 
stone,  and  preparing  material  for  building  purposes, 
acquainted  them  with  the  architecture  of  that  country. 
The  Egyptians  were  the  first  operative  masons  of  whom 
we  have  any  knowledge.  There  are  ruins  of  temples 
in  Egypt  erected  a  thousand  years  before  Solomon's 
temple,  ten  times  as  large,  and  requiring  for  their  con- 
struction architectural  knowledge  and  skill  far  superior 
to  that  disolaved  in  the  erection  of  King  Solomon's 
temple. 

The  mosque  of  Omar,  as  it  is  called,  which  is  erected 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  349 

on  the  summit  of  Mt.  Moriah,  and  surrounds  the  sacred 
stone,  is  an  eight-sided  building,  each  of  the  eight  sides 
being  sixty -six  feet  in  length ;  it  is  fifty-eight  yards,  or 
one  hundred  and  seventy-four  feet,  in  diameter.  The 
whole  exterior  down  to  the  pedestal  is  covered  with 
porcelain  tiles;  below  this,  with  marble.  "The  porce- 
lain tiles,  manufactured  in  the  Persian  style,  are 
beautiful,  and  handsomely  arranged,  and  produce  a 
fine  effect."  The  gates,  or  doors,  four  in  number, 
which  face  the  four  cardinal  points  of  the  compass,  are 
square  in  form,  each  having  a  vaulted  arch  above. 
The  interior  of  the  mosque  is  divided  into  three  concen- 
tric parts  by  two  series  of  supports,  the  whole  interior 
being  beautifully  ornamented  with  rich,  variegated 
designs  in  mosaics,  consisting  of  fantastic  lines  inter- 
twined, and  frequently  of  garlands  of  flowers,  vases  of 
flowers,  also  grapes  and  ears  of  corn  on  a  gold  ground. 
These  mosaics  are  composed  of  small  pieces  of  colored 
glass.  The  dome  of  this  mosque,  ninety-seven  feet  high, 
and  sixty-five  feet  in  diameter,  is  made  of  wood,  and 
covered  with  sheet  lead.  The  temple  area  is  an  exten- 
sive irregular  quadrangle,  with  buildings  scattered  over 
it.  The  west  side  of  the  enclosure  is  five  hundred  and 
thirty -six  yards,  the  east  side  five  hundred  and  seventy- 
two,  the  north  side  three  hundred  and  forty-eight, 
and  the  south  side  three  hundred  and  nine  yards  in 
length.  The  enclosed  precincts  of  Solomon's  temple 
was  six  hundred  by  seven  hundred  feet  square.  The 
grounds  are  irregular,  set  in  trees,  chiefly  cypress. 

Down  to  about  1854  none  but  a  Mohammedan  was 
allowed  to  enter  the  temple  precincts  without  the  risk 
of  losing  their  lives.  Before  Mohammed  had  finally 
broken  off  his  relations  with  the  Jews  he  expressed 


350  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

great  veneration  for  the  temple  at  Jerusalem.  He 
even  commanded  the  faithful  to  turn  toward  Jerusalem 
when  praying.  We  find  the  Koran  also  mentions  the 
Mesjid-el-aksa,  that  is  the  mosque  most  distant  from 
Mecca.  The  chapter,  or  Sura,  in  which  this  occurs, 
reads  thus :  "  Praise  be  unto  him  who  transported 
his  servant  by  night  from  the  sacred  temple  of  Mecca 
to  the  farther  temple  of  Jerusalem;  the  circuit  of 
which  we  have  blessed, -that  we  might  show  him  some 
of  our  signs,  for  God  is  he  who  heareth  and  seeth." — 
Sura  14:1. 

You  will  see  here  Mohammed  professes  to  have  been 
at  the  mosque  in  person,  and  to  this  day  the  Moham- 
medans regard  the  mosque  of  Omar  at  Jerusalem  as 
the  holiest  of  all  places,  after  Mecca.  I  am  informed 
that  it  was  on  this  account  that  all  Christians  were  for 
so  long  a  time  forbidden  access  to  it.  The  Jews  have 
never  tried  to  gain  admission  to  the  temple  precincts, 
fearing  that  they  might  possibly  commit  the  sin  of 
treading  upon  the  "  holy  of  holies." 

The  Mohammedans  say  Mohammed  and  his  horse, 
El  Burak,  were  translated  to  heaven  from  the  cavern 
under  the  sacred  stone,  making  the  hole  in  the  center, 
and  the  stone  wanted  to  go  with  him,  but  the  angel, 
Gabriel,  put  his  hand  on  it  and  kept  it  in  its  place. 
You  are  shown  a  cavity  an  inch  or  two  deep  and  six 
or  eight  in  diameter,  where  the  angel  put  his  hand. 
When  I  was  in  the  cavern  under  the  stone  I  was  shown 
some  hairs  sticking  to  the  rock  on  the  margin  of  the 
hole.  The  hole  is  round  and  some  eighteen  or  twenty 
inches  in  diameter,  and  was  made  by  Mohammed  and 
his  horse  as  they  ascended  to  heaven.  It  is  further 
said  that  on  this  occasion  the  rock  opened  its  mouth  as 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  351 

i 

it  did  \vhen  it  greeted  Omar,  and  it  therefore  has  a 
tongue  which  may  be  seen  over  the  entrance  of  the 
cavern.  This  hair,  the  Moslems  say,  was  pulled  out  of 
Mohammed's  head  as  he  went  up  through  the  rock.  If 
the  old  fellow  stuck  to  his  horse,  I  should  sa}r  he  got 
through  with  a  "tight  squeeze."  It  is  a  wonder  it 
didn't  take  all  the  hair  off  his  head,  and  all  the  skin  off 
his  back.  After  seeing  the  hole  he  went  through  I 
think  he  was  in  big  luck  to  get  through  as  well  as  they 
say  he  did.  You  may  learn  from  these  stories  that 
when  these  Jerusalemites  tell  a  lie  they  tell  a  whop- 
per. They  can  tell  as  big  a  lie  as  a  tombstone,  and 
that's  saying  a  good  deal. 

In  front  of-  the  north  entrance  of  the  mosque,  and 
near  the  north  side  of  the  great  stone,  there  is  let  into 
the  marble  slab  floor  a  slab  of  jasper  some  ten  or 
twelve  inches  or  more  in  diameter.  Into  this  slab,  it  is 
said,  Mohammed  drove  nineteen  golden  nails;  a  nail 
falls  out  at  the  end  of  every  epoch,  and  when  all  of 
them  are  gone  the  world  will  come  to  an  end.  Unfor- 
tunately for  the  world  and  mankind  in  general,  Satan 
slipped  into  the  mosque  one  day  and  succeeded  in 
stealing  all  the  nails  but  three  and  a  half,  but  the  angel 
Gabriel  happened  to  catch  him  at  his  devilment  and 
run  him  away.  It  was  fortunate  Gabriel  happened  to 
be  watching  around  just  at  that  time;  had  the  old  thief 
succeeded  in  stealing  all  the  nails,  the  world  might 
have  come  to  an  end  long  before  this,  as  has  been  pre- 
dicted at  various  times  by  smart  Alicks,  who  thought 
they  knew  more  than  "  the  Angels  of  heaven." 

"  But  of  that  day  and  hour  knoweth  no  man,  no  not 
the  angels  of  heaven,  but  my  father  only." 

At  the  angle  formed  by  the  east  and  south  walls  of 


352  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

the  temple  area  stands  the  mosque  of  El  Alsa,  a  com- 
plex pile  of  buildings.  This  building  was  especially 
allotted  to  the  Knight  Templars ;  in  fact,  apart  of  the 
building  was  erected  by  them,  and  they  resided  here 
and  in  the  substructions. 

The  main  body  of  this  mosque  was  built  for  a  Chris- 
tian church,  and  dedicated  to  the  Virgin  by  the  Roman 
Emperor  Justinian,  about  the  middle  of  the  6th 
century.  Just  in  front  of  the  mosque  is  a  large  cistern 
which  is  supplied  with  water  by  an  aqueduct  from 
Solomon's  pools,  ten  miles  away.  Near  where  this  cis- 
tern now  is,  it  is  believed  Solomon's  brazen  Sea  stood, 
containing,  according  to  Josephus,  three  thousand 
baths.  This  mosque  is  two  hundred  and.  seventy-two 
feet  long  and  one  hundred  and  eighty-four  wide,  the 
interior  supported  by  forty-five  columns.  Twelve  of 
these  are  of  common  stone,  and  the  remainder  marble. 
By  going  down  a  flight  of  stone  steps,  we  reach  the 
underground  vault,  called  by  some  Solomon's  stables. 
Some  think  they  were  designed  to  enlarge  the  temple 
courts.  This  building  now  fronts  west,  but  along  the 
east  side  of  it  is  where  it  is  believed  Solomon's  porches 
stood  where  the  Savior  often  walked. 

"And  Jesus  walked  in  the  temple  in  Solomon's 
porch." 

Any  one  desiring  to  visit  the  mosque  of  Omar  must 
first  apply  to  their  consul,  who  will  procure  for  them 
permission  from  the  Turkish  authorities,  and  provide 
one  or  more  soldiers  as  attendants.  It  will  be  con- 
venient also  to  take  slippers  along  from  your  hotel,  as 
you  will  not  be  permitted  to  enter  this  or  any  other 
Mohammedan  mosque  with  your  ordinary  wearing 
shoes. 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

NOW,  reader,  we  will  take  a  stroll  outside  the  city 
walls,  and,  as  it  is  more  convenient,  we  will  go 
south  along  the  west  wall  of  the  city,  passing  by  the 
Joppa  gate.  This  wall,  as  I  have  before  stated,  runs 
somewhat  east  of  south. 

Now  we  read  in  the  best  history  of  Palestine  and 
Jerusalem  extant  (the  scriptures  that  Hezekiah,  son 
of  Ahaz,  reigned  thirty-nine  years  in  Jerusalem,  and 
that  "  this  same  Hezekiah  also  stopped  the  upper  water 
course  of  Gihon  and  brought  it  straight  down  to  the 
west  side  of  the  city  of  David." 

Just  beyond  the  Joppa  gate  this  valley  begins,  or, 
rather,  we  come  to  the  head  of  the  valley.  The  ground 
dips  down  precipitously  on  all  sides,  and  here  we  find 
the  upper  pool  of  Gihon.  Isaiah  in  two  instances  calls 
this  "  in  the  highway  of  the  fullers  field.''  We  go  on 
down  the  valley  of  Gihon  between  the  city  wall  and 
the  valley,  a  rough,  rocky  path  on  the  steep  sides  of 
the  hill  which  leads  to  the  lower  pool  of  Gihon. 

These  pools  are  made  by  throwing  dams  across  the 
deep  ravine,  just  as  we  make  pools  at  the  head  of  hol- 
lows or  ravines  in  this  country.  There  is  this  differ- 
ence, however,  these  hills  are  high  and  rocky,  and  the 
water  courses  between  them,  called  valleys,  are  narrow 
and  deep.  We  read  that  Adonijah,  the  son  of  Hag- 
gith,  seeing  that  David  was  old  and  in  a  manner  help- 
less, exalted  himself,  saying,  "  I  will  be  king."  And 
prepared  himself  with  chariots  and  horsemen  and  fifty 

353 


354  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

men  to  run  before  him.  Every  man  has  his  friends, 
and  Adonijah  had  his.  He  slew  oxen  and  sheep  and 
fat  cattle,  and,  in  short,  made  a  great  feast  and  flat- 
tered his  brethren  and  the  people,  calling  them  the 
"  king's  sons,"  and  the  men  of  Judah  "  the  king's  ser- 
vants," etc.  As  we  proceed  down  the  valley  we  come 
to  a  well  called  "  Job's  well."  It  marks  the  place  in 
the  scriptures  called  En  Rogel.  It  was  here  Adonijah 
spread  his  feast  and,  as  the  children  say,  "played  king." 

But  Nathan,  the  prophet,  told  Solomon's  mother  that 
Adonijah  was  playing  king,  and  that  David  knew 
nothing  of  it,  and  advised  her  to  inform  David  of  the 
matter,  and  at  the  same  time  remind  him  of  the  prom- 
ise, or  rather  the  oath,  he  had  made  her  that  Solomon 
should  reign  after  him.  He  told  her  further,  that  while 
she  was  telling  the  king  about  what  Adonijah  was 
doing,  he  would  come  in  and  confirm  it.  Bathsheba, 
Solomon's  mother,  did  as  Nathan  advised  her,  and 
informed  David  of  the  usurpation  of  the  crown  by 
Adonijah.  Whereupon,  David  renewed  his  oath  to 
Bathsheba,  and  told  her  to  "  call  to  him  Zodak,  the 
priest,  and  Nathan,  the  prophet,  and  Benaiah,  the  son 
of  Jehoiada,  and  when  they  came  to  him  he  said  unto 
them,  "  Take  with  you  the  servants  of  your  Lord  and 
cause  Solomon,  my  son,  to  ride  upon  mine  own  mule 
and  bring  him  down  to  Gihon.  And  let  Zodak,  the 
priest,  and  Nathan,  the  prophet,  anoint  him  there  king 
over  Israel,  and  blow  ye  with  the  trumpet  and  say, 
God  save  King  Solomon." 

Having  done  as  David  commanded,  "all  the  people 
came  up,"  for  Gihon  is  down  in  a  valley,  "  after  him 
and  the  people  piped  with  pipes  and  rejoiced  with  great 
joy,  so  that  the  earth  rent  with  the  sound  of  them." 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  355 

Whei  it  was  made  known  to  Adonijah,  his  followers 
and  pretended  friends,  what  had  been  done,  his  friends 
evaporated  like  the  friends  of  every  unfortunate  man. 
How  often  do  we  see  instances  similar  to  this  in  life. 
And  Adonijah  endeavored  to  screen  himself  by  taking 
hold  of  the  horns  of  the  holy  altar.  Adonijah's  royalty 
oozed  out  of  him  about  as  fast  or  a  little  faster  than  it 
went  into  him.  And  now  we  see  him  relying  upon  the 
sanctity  of  the  holy  altar  to  save  his  life. 

Well,  it  is  worth  our  little  stroll  to  see  the  place  where 
this  little  play  at  royalty  occurred,  twenty-nine  hun- 
dred years  ago,  for  David  slept  with  his  fathers  and 
was  buried  in  the  city  of  David,  ten  hundred  and  fifteen 
years  before  the  Christian  era. 

When  we  get  below  the  lower  pool  of  Gihon  the  val- 
ley is  called  the  valley  of  Hinnom,  or  the  valley  of  the 
son  of  Hinnom,  the  boundary  line  between  Judah  and 
Benjamin.  "  And  the  border  went  by  the  valley  of  the 
sons  of  Hinnom  into  the  south  of  the  Jebusites,  the 
same  is  Jerusalem." 

The  hill  here  on  our  left,  as  you  know,  is  Mt.  Zion, 
and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley  of  the  son  of 
Hinnom  is  the  traditional  site  of  Aceldama,  or  the  field 
of  blood.  The  site  of  the  field  is  not  so  abrupt,  but 
slopes  down  more  gradually  to  the  valley.  If  the  side 
of  that  hill  which  is  here  before  us  be  the  place  called 
Aceldama,  or  the  "field  of  blood,"  it  was  the  ground 
purchased  with  the  money  which  was  paid  Judas  Iscar- 
iot  for  the  betrayal  of  the  Savior. 

Matthew  relates  it  as  follows :  "Then  one  of  the 
twelve,  called  Judas  Iscariot ,  went  unto  the  chief 
priests  and  said  unto  them,  What  will  ye  give  me  and 
I  will  deliver  him  unto  you  ?  And  they  covenanted 


356  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

with  him  for  thirty  pieces  of  silv.er."  After  this  iniqui- 
tous bargain  was  made,  Judas,  in  order  to  carry  out  his 
treacherous  design,  gave  them  a  sign  saying,  "Whomso- 
ever I  shall  kiss,  that  same  is  he,  hold  him  fast. "  Jesus  is 
the  only  character  known  that  was  not  one  of  a  class. 
His  life  and  character  stand  out  isolated,  separate  and 
distinct  from  all  other  men  of  whom  we  have  any 
account,  his  enemies  being  judges. 

Judas  was  but  one  of  a  class.  There  are  thousands 
of  men  in  the  world  who,  placed  in  precisely  the  same 
condition  as  Judas  was,  would  have  acted  just  as  he  did, 
yea,  even  worse.  For  I  am  sure  some  men  would  have 
betrayed  him  for  two  and  a  half  dollars,  if  not  less. 

It  is  true,  Jesus  said  he  was  a  "devil  from  the  begin- 
ning," and  the  same  may  be  said  of  many  others,  and 
all  of  his  traitorous  class.  •  It  seems  that  even  Judas, 
though  a  devil,  had  a  little  spark  of  feeling  in  his 
treacherous  heart ;  for  we  are  told  that  when  he  saw 
Jesus  was  condemned,  he  repented  and  brought  the 
money  back  and  told  the  priests  that  he  had  sinned  in 
that  he  had  betrayed  "  the  innocent  blood."  What 
said  the  bribers  to  him  ?  Just  what  such  people  might 
be  expected  to  say:  "What  is  that  to  us  ?  See  thou  to 
that."  ' 

And  Judas  cast  down  the  money  in  the  temple  and 
went  and  hanged  himself.  In  this  he  did  better  than 
a  great  many  of  his  class  do.  It's  a  great  pity  more  of 
them  don't  follow  his  praiseworthy  example  in  this 
particular. 

The  chief  priests  took  the  silver  and,  after  consulting 
about  the  matter,  bought  the  potter's  field  to  bury 
strangers  in,  and  that  hill-side  is  the  land  or  field  which 
tradition  tells  us  they  bought.  The  top  of  the  hill  is 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  357 

called  the  hill  of  evil  council,  where,  according  to  the 
monks,  the  Jews  took  council  that  they  might  "take 
Jesus  by  subtlety  and  kill  him." 

Reader,  you  notice  that  the  lower  end  of  this  valley 
comes  around  more  to  the  east,  so  that  if  we  stand 
down  in  the  valley,  which  is  wider  here,  we  have  Mt. 
Zion  north  of  us  and  the  hill  of  evil  council  south. 
Here,  at  the  southern  extremity  of  Mt.  Zion,  the  valley 
of  the  Son  of  Hinnom  and  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat 
come  together ;  the  valley  of  Hinnom  coming  down  on 
the  west  side  of  the  city  and  the  valley  of  Jehosha 
phat,  with  the  little  brook  Kedron  forming  a  central 
water  drain,  coming  down  on  the  east. 

I  am  particular  in  thus  describing  these  localities,  in 
order  to  have  them  correctly  impressed  upon  your  mind^ 
and  if  the  reader  will  fix  them  upon  the  mind  he  can 
have  not  only  a  fair  but  a  correct  picture  of  Jerusalem 
and  its  environments. 

The  cliffs  on  the  south  side  of  this  valley  is  the  part 
that  was  called  Tophet.  Let  me  tell  you  what  one  of 
the  prophets  said  about  this  place  and  Jerusalem  600 
B.  0.  I  give  you  here  the  exact  language  of  the  prophet, 
and  ask  you  to  read  it  carefully :  "  Thus  sayeth  the 
Lord,  Go  and  get  a  potters'  earthern  bottle  and  take  of 
the  ancients  of  the  people,  and  of  the  ancients  of  the 
priests ;  and  go  forth  unto  the  valley  of  the  son  of 
Hinnom  which  is  by  the  entry  of  the  east  gate,  and 
proclaim  there  the  words  that  I  shall  tell  thee,  and  say, 
Hear  thee  the  word  of  the  Lord,O  Kings  of  Judah  and 
inhabitants  of  Jerusalem ;  thus  sayeth  the  Lord  of 
hosts,  the  God  of  Israel;  behold  I  will  bring  evil  upon 
this  place;  the  which  whosoever  heareth,  his  ears  shall 
tingle.  Because  they  have  forsaken  me  and  have 


358  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

estranged  this  place  and  have  burned  incense  in  it  unto 
other  gods  whom  neither  they  nor  their  fathers  have 
known,  nor  the  kings  of  Judah,  and  have  filled 
this  place  with  the  blood  of  innocents ;  they  have 
built  also  the  high  places  of  Baal  to  burn  their  sons 
with  fire  for  burnt  offerings  unto  Baal  which  I  com- 
manded not  nor  spake  it,  neither  came  it  into  my  mind: 
Therefore  behold  the  days  come,  sayeth  the  Lord,  that 
this  place  shall  no  more  be  called  Tophet,  nor  the 
valley  of  the  son  of  Hinnom,  but  the  valley  of 
slaughter.  And  I  will  make  void  the  council  of 
Judah  and  Jerusalem  in  this  place ;  and  I  will  cause 
them  to  fall  by  the  sword  before  their  enemies  and  by 
the  hands  of  them  that  seek  their  lives ;  and  their  car- 
cases will  I  give  to  be  meat  for  the  fowls  of  the  heavens, 
and  for  the  beasts  of  the  earth.  And  I  will^make  this 
city  desolate  and  an  hissing ;  every  one  that  passeth 
thereb}'  shall  be  astonished  and  hiss  because  of  all  the 
plagues  thereof.  And  I  will  cause  them  to  eat  the 
flesh  of  their  sons  and  the  flesh  of  their  daughters,  and 
they  shall  eat  every  one  the  flesh  of  his  friend  in  the 
siege  and  straitness  wherewith  their  enemies,  and  they 
that  seek  their  lives,  shall  straiten  them.  Then  shalt 
thou  break  the  bottle  in  the  sight  of  the  men  that  go 
with  thee,  and  shalt  say  unto  them:  Thus  sayeth  the 
Lord  of  hosts;  even  so  will  I  break  this  people  and 
this  city  as  one  breaketh  a  potters'  vessel  that  can  not 
be  made  whole  again:  and  they  shall  bury  them  in 
Tophet,  till  there  be  no  place  to  bury." 

This  denunciation  was  literally  fulfilled  when 
Nebuchadnezzar  sacke^  and  destroyed  Jerusalem; 
but  more  emphatically  so  and  to  the  letter  when  it 
was  besieged  and  finally  captured  by  Titus,  as  herein- 


AND   THE    HOLT    LAND.  359 

before  described.  Josephus  tells  us,  and  (as  before 
stated)  he  was  with  Titus?  army,  "  that  when  Titus  saw 
from  a  distance  these  valleys  below  Jerusalem  heaped 
full  of  dead  bodies  he  was  so  horrified  at  the  sight  that 
he  raised  his  hands  and  called  heaven  to  witness  that 
he  was  not  responsible  for  this  terrible  slaughter." 

The  prophet  was  told  to  break  the  potters'  bottle 
before  the  ancient  people  and  ancient  priests.  What  an 
impressive  lesson  this  must  have  been !  and  I  learn  that 
this  custom  is  kept  up  to  this  day  among  this  people." 
When  they  wish  to  express  their  utter  contempt  or 
detestation  of  any  one,  they  come  behind  or  near  them 
and  smash  a  bottle  in  pieces." 

The  cruel  sacrifice  of  children  to  the  deity  Moloch 
or  Baal  was  long  kept  up  by  these  ancient  people.  It 
appears  from  the  scriptures  that  this  monstrous  wor- 
ship was  practiced  in  this  particular  locality  to  a  greater 
extent  than  elsewhere. 

The  idol  was  heated  red-hot  and  the  children  placed 
in  its  arms.  The  heart-rending  shrieks  of  the  poor 
little  innocent  sufferers  were  drowned  by  the  noise  of 
cymbals  and  the  maniacal  shouts  of  the  frenzied  wor- 
shipers. Milton  thus  describes  this  horrid,  inhuman, 
unfeeling  worship : 

'  Moloch,  horrid  king,  besmeared  with  blood 

'  Of  human  sacrifice  and  parents'  tears, 

'  Though  for  the  noise  of  drums  and  timbrels  loud, 

'  Their  childrens'  cries,  unheard,  that  passed  through  fire 

'  To  his  grim  idol;  in  the  pleasant  vale  of  Hinnom,  Tophet,  thence 

4  And  bleak  Gehenna,  called  the  type  of  hell." 

The  Greek  word  for  Hinnorn  is  Gehenna,  and  this 
word  is  used  in  the  revised  edition  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment as  synonymous  with  hell,  or  as  being  a  type  of 
hell.  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  the  horrid  scenes  enacted 


360  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

in  this  valley,  or  on  those  cliffs  before  us,  suggested  the 
idea  or  description  set  forth  by  the  Savior  in  the  lan- 
guage as  given  by  Mark  when  he  says,  "  Where  the 
worm  dieth  not  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched." 
.  The  Savior  uses  almost  word  for  word  the  language 
used  by  Isaiah  seven  hundred  years  before,  where  he 
says :  "  And  they  shall  go  forth  and  look  upon  the  car- 
case of  the  men  that  have  transgressed  against  him. 
For  their  worm  shall  not  die,  neither  shall  their  fires  be 
quenched,  and  they  shall  be  an  abhorring  to  all  flesh." 
The  Savior  taught  by  object  lessons,  and  it  seems 
that  in  this  instance  he  used  this  horrible  place  and 
the  indescribable  and  unparalleled  cruelties  and  suf- 
ferings witnessed  here  to  impress  the  minds  of  this 
cruel,  idolatrous  arid  disobedient  people  with  the 
enormity  of  their  sins  of  idolatry  and  disobedience.  I 
don't  think  any  bible  student  now  believes  that  it 
teaches  a  veritable  hell. 

But  we  must  leave  this  interesting  place,  interesting 
since  there  is  no  doubt  of  its  being  the  locality  spoken 
of  in  the  scriptures  above  cited. 

We  will  now  turn  to  the  left  and  go  up  the  valley 
of  Jehoshaphat,  leaving  the  hill  of  evil  council  on  our 
right. 

The  first  place  of  interest,  or  of  any  importance,  we 
come  to  is  the  pool  of  Siloam.  The  Arabs  call  it  Ain 
Silwan  ;  just  below  or  nearly  opposite  the  pool,  on  the 
side  of  the  hill,  to  our  right,  is  the  village  of  Siloam. 
Near  this  pool  was  the  outlet  of  the  Tyropean  valley, 
which  comes  down  between  the  mounts  of  Zion  and 
Moriah.  This  pool  is  fifty  feet  long  and  eighteen  wide, 
and  was,  in  the  days  of  the  Savior,  included  in  the  city 
walls.  We  read  that  upon  one  occasion  Jesus  passed 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  361 

by  and  saw  a  blind  man,  and  his  disciples  asked  him. 
uWho  did  sin,  this  man  or  his  parents?"  and  Jesus 
answered  them,  "  Neither  this  man  nor  his  parents,  but 
that  the  works  of  God  should  be  made  manifest  in 
him."  He  then  spat  on  the  ground  and  made  clay  of 
the  spittle  and  anointed  the  eyes  of  the  blind  man  with 
the  clay  and  told  him  "to  go  wash  in  the  pool  of 
Siloam."  I  judge  it  was  full  of  water  then,  and  as  I 
see  it  has  filled  up  considerably  by  the  dirt  washing 
down  into  it  from  the  valley  above,  I  suppose  it  was 
much  deeper  then  than  now.  It  would  hold  now  some 
ten  or  twelve  feet  of  water,  if  full. 

The  man  did  not  hesitate  to  obey  him,  but  went,  and 
did  as  he  was  commanded,  and  came  seeing.  Let  me 
say  just  here  that  there  never  was  a  case  of  blindness, 
whether  hereditary,  traumatic,  or  resulting  from  dis- 
ease of  this  delicate  organ,  that  was  curable  by  the 
simple  means  here  used. 

I  mean  that  had  Christ  been  nothing  more  than  an 
extraordinarily  good  man,  as  some  contend,  the  means 
he  used  would  never  have  restored  that  blind  man  to 
sight.  I  am  sure  that  every  physician  and  oculist 
will  confirm  the  foregoing  expression.  This  pool, 
as  are  all  the  pools  mentioned  as  being  round  and 
about  Jerusalem,  was  walled  up  with  stone.  Where 
the  valley  of  Hinnom  and  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  or 
Kedron,  come  together — for  it  is  sometimes  called  by 
one  name  and  sometimes  by  .the  other — both  valleys 
widen  out  and  are  planted  in  small  gardens. 
These  gardens  extend  as  far  up  the  Kedron  valley  as 
the  pool  of  Siloam.  The  steps  coming  down  the  hill  of 
Zion  to  the  pool  of  Siloam  can  still  be  traced. 

Higher  up  the  valley  we  come  to  a  fine,  bold  spring 


362  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

called  the  Virgin's  fountain,  or  the  fountain  of  the 
accused  woman,  from  a  tradition  that  the  virgin  was 
once  falsely  accused  and  here  drank  of  the  water  and 
established  her  innocence. 

This  spring  is  in  reality  a  well,  for  the  water  doesn't 
rise  to  the  surface  of  the  valley.  To  reach  the  water 
we  have  to  descend  to  a  vault  by  a  series  of  steps  (some 
fourteen  or  sixteen)  to  a  level  space,  and  then  down 
another  flight  of  steps  of  about  the  same  number.  The 
well  is  on  the  west  side  of  the  valley,  as  is  also  the  pool  of 
Siloam.  The  water  from  this  well  is  carried  off  through 
an  underground  aqueduct  to  the  pool  of  Siloam,  a 
distance  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  yards.  It  is  con- 
ducted by  the  upper  or  smaller  pool  of  Siloam  now, 
but  in  the  days  of  our  Savior,  when  the  upper  pool 
of  Siloam  was  within  the  city  walls,  I  have  no  doubt 
but  it  emptied  its  water  first  into  the  upper  pool  and 
from  the  upper  was  conducted  into  the  lower  pool. 
The  well  itself  fills  a  basin  or  reservoir  eleven  by  five 
feet  and  several  deep,  with  a  gravelly  bottom.  The 
flow  of  water  is  intermittent.  In  winter  it  flows  from 
three  to  five  times  daily,  in  summer  twice.  It  was 
flowing  in  a  full  free  stream  when  I  saw  it. 

Directly  behind  the  village  of  Siloam,  which  is  upon 
a  stool  or  bench  of  land  projecting  from  the  side  of  a 
hill,  rises  the  "  hill  of  offense."  This  is  the  hill  where 
Solomon,  in  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  erected  temples 
to  false  gods,  notwithstanding  the  temple  which  the 
"  glory  of  the  Lord  had  filled  "  was  in  full  view  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat. 

"We  are  told  when  Solomon  was  old  his  wives  turned 
away  his  heart  after  other  gods.  "  For  Solomon  went 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  363 

after  Ashtoreth,  the  goddess  of  the  Sidonians,  and  after 
Milcom,  the  abomination  of  the  Amorites. 

No  one  need  be  surprised  at  this,  however,  when 
they  remember  that  he  had  seven  hundred  wives, 
princesses.  He  was  a  more  practical  polygamist  than 
Joe  Smith  or  Brigham  Young ;  besides  these  lawful 
wives  he  had  twelve  hundred  unlawful  wives,  or  concu- 
bines. The  wonder  is  that  he  had  any  sense  at  all. 
Don't  censure  Solomon,  but  pity  him.  He  was  an 
accommodating  man,  and  tried  to  marry  every  woman 
who  aspired  to  royalty. 

"  Then  did  Solomon  build  an  high  place  for  Chemosh, 
the  abomination  of  Moab,  in  the  hill  that  is  before 
Jerusalem,  and  for  Molech,  the  abomination  of  the 
children  of  Ammon."  The  hill  that  I  am  now  pointing 
out  to  the  reader  is  the  one  referred  to. 

The  Lord  punished  Solomon  for  all  this  by  rending 
his  kingdom.  But  for  David,  his  father's  sake,  he  told 
him  he  would  not  do  it  while  he  lived,  but  would  rend 
it  out  of  the  hand  of  his  son.  Rehoboam  was  reared 
in  the  harem  of  Solomon,  and  petted  and  spoiled  by  all 
these  Mrs.  Solomons,  and  the  old  man  might  have 
known,  and  I  think  did  know,  that  he  was  a  failure.  A 
spoilt  boy  isn't  worth  a  copper. 

The  village  of  Siloam  is  a  collection  of  filthy,  squatty 
Arab  houses ;  the  whole  side  of  the  hill  above,  below 
and  on  every  side  of  the  village  being  filled  with  the 
tombs  of  the  dead. 

Passing  on  up  4he  valley  leading  northward,  we  come 
to  the  southwestern  slope  of  Mt.  Olivet,  which  is  cov- 
ered from  the  brook  Kedron  to  the  top  with  Jewish 
tombs.  In  many  places  these  tombs  are  put  so  close 


364:  TEAVEL8   IN    EGYPT 

together  that  the  hill-side  looks  as  though  it  had  been 
paved. 

If  the  reader  will  turn  to  the  37th  chapter  of  Ezekiel 
he  will  see  that  the  prophet  says  that  these  graves 
and  all  the  graves  of  the  Jews  in  Egypt  and  in  heathen 
lands  and  wherever  scattered  shall  give  up  their  dry 
bones  and  that  they  shall  be  made  into  live  men  again  ; 
that  bone  shall  go  to  its  fellow  bone ;  that  tendons  and 
muscles  shall  find  their  places  and  the  skeleton  be  cov- 
ered with  skin ;  that  the  four  winds  of  heaven  shall 
blow  the  breath  of  life  in  them  and  they  shall  be  as  a 
great  army  and  be  brought  back  to  Canaan  and  be 
made  into  one  nation,  and  that  God  will  be,  their  God, 
and  they  shall  be  his  people.  * 

Now,  I  am  not  theologian  enough  to  tell  you  whether 
this  prophecy  is  to  be  understood  literally,  or  whether, 
like  Nebuchadnezzar's  drearn,  it  means  a  great  deal 
more  than  appears  at  first  sight.  This  is  a  matter  you 
must  look  into  for  yourself.  I  propose  to  tell  you 
what  I  saw  in  this  tour  around  the  walls  of  old  Jerusa- 
lem and  try  to  describe  it  so  that  you  too  may  see  it,  or 
at  least  have  a  good  idea  of  how  it  looks. 

A  few  hundred  yards  higher  up  the  valley  and  on 
the  east  side  of  it  we  come  to  a  monument  called  the 
Pyramid  of  Zacharias,  also  tomb  of  Zacharias.  This 
monument  is  twenty  feet  high  and  is  hewn  in  the  rock, 
i.  e.,  the  rock  is  hewn  down  and  removed,  leaving  the 
pyramid.  It  is  sixteen  feet  square  and  the  sides  are 
adorned  with  Ionic  columns  and  hajf  columns,  with 
square  columns  at  the  corners.  Above  the  columns  is 
a  plain  surface,  over  which  rises  a  blunted  pyramid. 
As  no  entrance  to  the  interior  has  been  discovered,  it  is 
presumable  that  it  is  solid  stone. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  365 

In  Matthew  XXIII.  where  we  find  the  Scribes  and 
Pharisees  severely  rebuked,  among  other  things  the 
Savior  says,  "  That  upon  you  may  come  all  the  righte- 
ous blood  shed  upon  the  earth,  from  the  blood  of  righte- 
ous Abel  unto  the  blood  of  Zacharias,  son  of  Barachias, 
whom  ye  slew  between  the  temple  and  the  altar." 

We  learn  that  850  B.  C.  Zacharias  rebuked  this  peo- 
ple, saying:  "  Why  transgress  ye  the  commandments  of 
the  Lord  that  ye  can  not  prosper  ?  Because  ye  hath 
forsaken  the  Lord  he  hath  also  forsaken  you.  And 
they  conspired  against  him  and  stoned  him  with  stones 
at  the  commandment  of  the  king  in  the  camp  of  the 
house  of  the  Lord."  This  pyramid  is  said  to  have  been 
erected  to  his  memory. 

Just  above  the  tomb  or  pyramid  of  Zacharias  we 
find  the  grotto  of  St.  James.  This  is  an  irregular 
structure.  "  In  front  towards  the  west  the  vestibule  is 
open  for  a  space  of  sixteen  feet,  and  supported  by  two 
columns  seven  or  eight  feet  high,  adjoining  which  are 
two  side  pillars  incorporated  with  the  rock  composing 
the  structure."  This  grotto  is  claimed  to  be  a  natural 
cave,  in  which,  according  to  tradition,  the  apostle  James 
lay  concealed  from  the  day  of  the  Crucifixion,  till  the 
day  of  Resurrection,  neither  eating  nor  drinking  during 
the  time.  On  account  of  this  tradition,  the  so-called 
"  Christians  "  of  Jerusalem  consider  it  holy.  Another 
tradition  is  that  this  apostle  is  buried  on  Mt.  Olivet. 
This,  however,  is  only  from  the  16th  century.  Another 
tradition,  dating  from  the  15th  century,  makes  this 
grotto  his  burial-place.  A  band  of  monks  are  said  to 
have  lived  here  for  a  time.  After  that  it  was  used  for 
a  sheep-fold. 

Now,  reader,  try  and  keep  in  mind  just  where  you 


366  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

are,  in  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  on  the  east  side  of 
Jerusalem,  between  Mt.  Moriah  and  the  Mount  of  Olives. 
This  grotto  of  St.  James  is  directly  opposite  the  south- 
east corner  of  the  temple  plateau. 

Just  above  this  grotto  is  the  tomb  of  Jehoshaphat, 
with  a  broad  entrance  nearly  filled  up  with  rubbish.  It 
is  somewhat  irregular  in  shape,  and  surmounted  by  a 
gable.  Whether  this  is  in  reality  the  tomb  of  Jehosha- 
phat no  one  knows.  The  scriptures  tell  us  he  was 
buried  in  the  city  of  David,  and  that  is  all  it  says  about 
it. 

A  short  distance  above  the  tomb  of  Jehoshaphat  we 
came  to  the  tomb  of  Absalom,  a  large  cube  six  and 
a  half  yards  square  and  twenty  feet  high.  This 
tomb  is  also  hewn  out  of  the  rock,  but  only  on 
three  sides.  On  the  front  the  stone  has  been  removed 
down  to  the  base  of  the  tomb,  but  on  the  two  sides  it 
is  separated  from  the  rock  by  a  passway  eight  or  nine 
feet  wide.  As  the  rock  on  the  side  of  the  mountain 
was  not  high  enough  to  make  the  whole  monument  in 
a  single  block,  a  square  superstructure  of  large  stone 
was  erected  on  the  massive  base.  This  monument  is 
filled  around  with  a  good  deal  of  rubbish,  but  above 
this  it  measures  forty-seven  feet  in  height.  It  is  called 
Absalom's  tomb.  But  I  infer  from  the  reading  of  the 
scriptures  that  Absalom's  body  was  never  recovered 
from  the  pit  into  which  Joab  and  his  armor  bearers 
threw  it,  and  on  which  they  heaped  stone,  over  in  the 
land  of  Gilead,  on  the  east  side  of  Jordan. 

"Now  Absalom  in  his  lifetime  had  taken  and  reared 
up  for  himself  a  pillar,  which  is  in  the  king's  dale :  for 
he  said,  I  have  no  son  to  keep  my  name  in  remembrance: 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  367 

and  he  called  the  pillar  after  his  own  name :  and  it  is 
called  unto  this  day,  Absalom's  place." 

The  valley  of  Jehoshaphat  was  in  ancient  times  called 
the  king's  dale,  but  whether  this  stone  house  marks 
the  site  of  the  pillar  Absalom  had  reared  to  his  own 
memory  or  not,  history  does  not  inform  us. 


TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 


CHAPTER  XV. 

A  FTER  passing  the  tombs  of  Zacharias,  St.  James, 
-lT_L  and  the  pillar  of  Absalom,  we  reach  the  place  the 
"  Christians  "  of  Jerusalem  have  improved  and  called 
Gethsemane,  the  word  signifying  oil  press.  It  is  laid 
out  with  numerous  walks  running  between  beds  of 
flowers.  Within  the  enclosed  area  are  seven  venerable 
olive  trees  which,  judging  from  the  bulk  of  their  trunks, 
some  of  which  are  sixteen  or  eighteen  feet  in  circum- 
ference, I  take  to  be  very  old.  It  is  claimed  these  trees 
have  been  standing  here  since  the  days  of  the  Savior. 
We  know,  however,  this  is  but  another  of  their  false- 
hoods, for  it  is  well-known  that  Titus  and  Hadrian  cut 
down  all  the  trees  round  and  about  the  city. 

The  garden  is  enclosed  by  a  hedge  eight  feet  in 
height,  and  is  in  the  care  of  a  Franciscan  monk  who 
not  only  admits  strangers  for  a  consideration,  but 
watches  them  with  the  eye  of  a  hawk  after  they  enter 
to  prevent  them  from  plucking  the  flowers,  or  even 
taking  a  leaf  from  the  olive  boughs.  Although  I  had 
serious  doubts  about  this  garden  being  the  garden  of 
Gethsemane  into  which  our  Lord  entered  with  his  dis- 
ciples on  the  night  of  his  betrayal,  still  as  it  was  rep- 
resented as  being  the  place,  I  determined  to  carry  some 
trifle  home  with  me  from  its  precincts,  if  I  had  to  steal 
it.  In  walking  up  and  down  the  garden  I  noticed  a 
pretty  stone  lying  in  the  walk  just  in  front  of  me. 
When  I  came  to  it  I,  accidentally  of  course,  dropped  my 
handkerchief.  It  fell  over  the  coveted  stone,  which  I 

368 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  369 

took  up  with  my  handkerchief  and  dropped  into  my 
pocket. 

I  now  have  the  stone  with  my  collection  and  have 
labeled  it  "Stolen  from  Gethsemane."  The  garden  is 
an  irregular  quadrangle  and  something  like  seventy 
yards  in  circumference.  It  has  been  designated  as  the 
garden  of  Gethsemane  since  the  4th  century.  At  one 
time  it  was  much  larger  than  it  is  now,  and  had  sev- 
eral churches  and  chapels  within  the  enclosure.  We 
read  :  "  Then  cometh  Jesus  with  them  unto  a  place 
called  Gethsemane,  and  he  sayeth  unto  his  disciples, 
Sit  ye  here  while  I  go  and  pray  yonder."  One  would 
infer  from  the  narrative  given  us  in  the  scriptures  that 
the  garden  was  a  retired,  unfrequented  place. 

This  and  the  word  meaning  oil  press,  taken  in  con- 
nection with  the  fact  that  in  the  days  of  the  Savior 
Mt.  Olivet  was  truly  a  mount  of  olives,  being  covered 
with  olive  trees,  and  oil  presses  were  neccessary  to 
press  the  oil  from  the  fruit,  I  say  in  these  particulars 
it  would  seem  to  indicate  that  this  was  the  Gethsemane, 
or  the  place  referred  to  in  the  text.  In  these  particulars 
this  place  seems  to  suit  very  well,  for  in  order  to  reach 
it  from  Jerusalem  one  has  to  corne  down  a  long  steep 
hill  to  the  bottom  of  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat  and  then 
cross  the  valley.  The  place  is  but  little  frequented  at 
the  present  time,  but  it  will  be  remembered  that  the 
house,  in  the  large  upper  room  of  which  they  say  the 
Savior  and  his  disciples  ate  the  Passover,  and  then 
instituted  the  Supper,  is  located  on  Mt  .Zion  outside  the 
southern  wall  of  the  city. 

In  order  to  reach  the  present  Gethsemane,  the  Savior 
and  his  disciples  would  have  had  to  walk  the  entire 
length  of  the  city,  from  south  to  north,  and  then  turn 


370  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

east  half  the  length  of  the  northern  wall,  then  go  down 
this  long,  steep,  rough  hill  to  the  valley  below,  then 
across  the  valley  and  the  brook  Kedron,  to  reach 
Gethseraane,  on  the  western  slope  of  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  a  distance  altogether  of  considerably  more  than 
a  mile. 

In  addition  to  this  we  learned,  when  in  Jerusalem, 
that  the  Greek  Catholics  were  making  another  garden 
of  Gethsemane  just  south  of  the  present  one.  The 
present  garden  belongs  to  the  Franciscans,  and  in  all 
probability  it  is  a  modern  made  garden  of  Gethsemane, 
with  a  manufactured  tradition  appended. 

These  priests  and  monks  have  no  conscientious  scruples 
in  manufacturing  places  and  traditions  to  order. 

The  entrance  to  the  garden  is  at  the  southeast  corner, 
and  a  rock  just  east  of  the  gate  is  pointed  out  as  the 
spot  where  Peter,  James  and  John  slept  during  the 
agony.  Some  ten  or  twelve  paces  *south  of  this  rock 
is  a  fragment  of  a  column  which,  it  is  said,  marks  the 
spot  where  Judas  imprinted  upon  the  cheek  of  the 
Savior  the  betrayal  kiss.  Each  visitor  is  expected  to 
pay  a  franc  (twenty  cents)  to  the  keeper  for  the  privilege 
of  entering  the  garden.  So,  upon  the  whole,  the  Fran- 
ciscans made  a  good  investment  when  they  bought,  or 
invented,  as  the  case  may  be,  the  garden  of  Gethsemane, 
on  the  western  slope  of  Mt.  Olivet,  near  its  base  where 
we  now  find  it. 

We  will  now  return  to  our  hotel,  as  we  have  taken 
quite  a  tramp.  We  are  now  on  the  east  side  of  the 
valley  of  Jehoshophat,  opposite  the  northeast  corner 
of  the  city  wall,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  Mount  of  Olives. 
We  now  go  in  a  westerly  direction  across  the  water- 
drain  Kedron,  which  is  dry  above  the  Virgin's  spring, 


AND   THE   HOLT    LAND.  371 

except  just  after  a  rain.  "We  cross  this  on  a  bridge,  and 
just  after  crossing  it  we  come  to  what  is  called  the 
Tomb  of  the  Virgin,  where,  according  to  the  legend, 
she  was  buried  by  the  apostles,  and  where  she  lay  until 
her  assumptipn,  or  until  she  was  taken  bodily  up  to 
heaven,  as  is  claimed  by  the  Roman  and  Greek  Cath- 
olics. 

As  I  did  not  enter  this  tomb,  I  give  you  a  description 
of  its  interior  as  I  have  learned  it  from  those  who  have 
examined  it.  The  only  part  of  the  church  which  is 
above  ground  is  the  porch.  "  The  descent  to  the  main 
body  of  the  structure  is  made  by  a  flight  of  forty-seven 
steps,  which  are  about  nineteen  feet  broad  at  the  top, 
narrowing  as  they  descend  to  a  depth  of  thirty-five 
feet.  In  descending  you  first  observe  a  walled-up  door 
on  the  right ;  this  formerly  led  to  a  cavern  where,  it  is 
said,  the  Savior  was  when,  as  it  is  written,  "  being  in 
an  agony,  he  prayed  more  earnestly:  and  his  sweat 
was  as  it  were  great  drops  of  blood  falling  down  to 
the  ground. 

I  have  heard  very  many  persons,  in  speaking  of  the 
agony  of  the  Savior,  referring  doubtless  to  the  above- 
quoted  scripture,  say  that  the  "  Savior  sweat  great 
drops  of  blood."  Luke  was  a  physician,  and  knew 
that,  as  a  rule,  the  denser  a  fluid  was  the  larger  were 
its  drops,  and  knowing  blood  was  denser  than  water 
and  had  larger  drops,  he  uses  this  expression  as  a  com- 
parison, i.  e.,  that  the  tirops  of  sweat  which  fell  from 
the  Savior's  face  to  the  ground  were,  as  it  were,  or  like 
unto  great  drops  of  blood. 

The  Savior  performed  miracies  enough;  we  will,  at 
least,  suppose  he  performed  as  many  as  lie  thought 
necessary  to  convince  the  fair-minded  and  unprejudiced 


372  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

that  no  man  could  do  the  miracles  he  did  except  God 
be  with  him,  and  it  is  not  necessary  to  misrepresent 
the  plain  statement  of  the  apostle  and  convert  what  he 
said  into  a  miracle  when  it  was  not  a  miracle,  nor  did 
he  state  it  as  a  miracle. 

"About  half-way  down  these  steps  there  are  two 
side  chambers.  The  one  on  the  right  contains  two 
altars  and,  they  say,  the  tombs  of  Joachim  and  Anna, 
the  parents  of  the  Holy  Virgin.  The  chamber  on  the 
left  is  said  to  contain  the  tomb  of  Joseph,  the  carpen- 
ter, the  Virgin's  husband. 

"  The  church  below  is  ninety-three  feet  long  and  about 
twenty-wide.  It  is  lighted  by  numerous  lamps.  In  the 
center  of  the  left  wing  is  the  sarcophagus  of  Mary, 
the  mother  of  our  Lord.  The  sarcophagus  is  placed  in 
a  square  chapel,  somewhat  like  the  sepulchre  of  the 
Savior  in  the  church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  On  the  east 
side  is  the  altar  of  the  Greeks;  the  south  of  the  tomb 
is  the  prayer  recess  of  the  Mohammedans,  and  on  the 
north  the  altar  of  the  Armenians. 

It  is  said  that  Omar,  who  was  the  second  Caliph  after 
Mohammed,  once  prayed  here;  he  certainly  visited 
Jerusalem.  The  west  wing  contains  the  altar  of  the 
Abyssinians.  Descending  six  steps  we  come  to  what 
appears  to  be  a  genuine  cave  or  grotto,  eighteen  yards 
in  length,  about  nine  in  width  and  twelve  feet  in  height. 
This  is  called  the  "  Cavern  of  the  Agony."  It  is  lighted 
by  a  small  hole  through  the  ceiling  above.  The  cave 
contains  three  altars  belonging  to  different  sects.  This 
comprises  all  that  is  of  any  interest  in  this  so-called 
Virgin's  tomb. 

We  now.  ascend  this  rough,  rugged  hill,  and  we  will 
have  to  call  a  halt  and  rest  several  times  before  reach- 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND. 

ing  its  summit.  Before  reaching  the  top  of  the  hill  we 
pass  the  northwest  corner  of  the  city  wall  on  our  left. 
You  see  what  an  immense  quantity  of  debris  has 
accumulated  around  the  outer  side  of  the  wall.  We 
are  now  walking  on  the  outside  of  the  wall  going  west. 
When  in  something  like  a  hundred  paces  of  the  Damas- 
cus gate  we  come  to  the  entrance  of  the  immense  stone 
quarry,  where  it  is  thought  Solomon  obtained  the  stone 
of  which  he  built  the  temple.  And  if  you  are  willing 
we  will  explore  it.  To  enter  it  we  stoop  to  near  a 
half  bend  and  go  under  the  city  wall  and  then  light 
our  candles.  We  must  now  be  careful  and  not  let  our 
guide  get  too  far  ahead  of  us,  or  we  might  lose  our  way. 

Soon  after  entering  the  quarry  we  go  rapidly  down- 
ward, deeper  and  deeper  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth. 
This  subterranean  cavern  "extends  two  hundred  yards 
in  a  southern  direction  under  the  city.  In  some  places 
water  drips  down  from  the  crevices  of  the  stone  over- 
head. After  going  say  some  fifty  yards  our  descent  is 
such  that  the  rocky  roof  gets  higher  and  higher  over- 
head, supported  by  huge  stone  columns  left  by  the 
quarrymen  for  the  purpose.  The  quarry  widens  out  as 
we  proceed,  all  the  while  going  deeper  into  the  earth. 
Side  chambers  and  channels  now  and  then  lead  off  to 
the  right  and  left,  stretching  far  out  and  below  the 
city  above. 

It  is  not  known  when  this  quarry  was  first  worked. 
It  is  evident  to  me  that  it  was  opened  before  the  present 
north  wall  of  the  city  was  built.  It  has  been  generally 
supposed  that  King  Solomon  obtained  the  stone,  if  not 
for  building  the  temple,  for  other  edifices  which  he 
erected  in  Jerusalem  from  this  subterranean  quarry. 
The  floor  of  this  extensive  cavern  is  very  irregular  and 


374  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

rough,  the  candles  give  but  a  poor  light,  the  air  is 
close;  and  upon  the  whole  it  is  a  very  fatiguing  and 
unpleasant  business  to  explore  it. 

Now  here  we  are  in  the  broad  light  of  day  once 
more,  and  let  ]  rae  show  you  right  opposite  to  this 
entrance,  i.  e.,  directly  north  of  where  we  now  stand, 
in  the  south  face  of  that  hill,  some  two  hundred  paces 
from  us,  the  grotto  of  Jeremiah.  It  is,  as  you  see,  some 
two  hundred  paces  from  the  Damascus  gate.  It  has 
been  called  the  grotto  of  Jeremiah  only  since  the  15th 
century ;  it  is  said  he  wrote  his  lamentation  there.  The 
grotto  is  wholly  uninteresting;  it  is,  however,  in  the 
south  and  almost  perpendicular  side  of  a  beautiful  hill 
which  rises  some  forty  or  fifty  feet  above  the  general 
level  around  it;  the  highest  point  being  a  short  dis- 
tance back  from  the  bluff  end  (for  the  hill  is  larger 
north  and  south  than  it  is  east  and  west),  in  which  we 
find  Jeremiah's  grotto  or  the  old  stone  quarry,  for  I 
believe  the  grotto  to  be  nothing  more  nor  less  than  an 
old  quarry.  From  this  point  the  hill  slopes  off 
gradually  northeast  and  west 

General  Gordon,  Dr.  Braudus,  Dr.  Talmage  and  all 
or  nearly  all  modern  visitors  to  Jerusalem  believe  this 
rocky  ridge  or  hill  to  be  the  veritable  hill  of  Calvary  or 
Golgotha.  Reader,  I  told  you  some  pages  back  that  I 
would  show  you  what  I  believed  to  be  Calvary.  This  is 
the  place  to  which  I  then  referred ;  and  now  if  you  will 
go  down  the  hill  in  a  northwest  direction  some  seventy- 
five  or  eighty  yards  to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  here  it  is 
we  step  down  two  or  three  stone  steps  ten  feet  long 
and  enter  a  door.  You  see  we  are  in  a  small  room, 
some  six  or  eight  by  ten  feet  square,  in  which  you  see  a 
stone  coffin.  This  burial  house  is  hewn  in  a  rock  under 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND. 


375 


the  margin  of  the  hill.  It  does  not  appear  ever  to  have 
been  used,  and  no  attention  is  being  paid  to  it  in  any 
way.  No  one  ever  visits  it,  except  it  is  shown  them 
by  some  one  who  doesn't  believe  the  chapel  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre  covers  the  localities  connected  or  associated 
with  the  passion  of  our  Lord.  This  bare  hill,  for  there 
is  nothing  upon  it  except  a  few  graves,  and  this  isola- 
ted, lonely  tomb-house,  and  this  empty  tomb  within  it, 
God  in  his  providence  may  have  kept  unoccupied  and 
undisturbed  by  human  hands  for  some  wise  purpose ; 
and  to  me  and  a  great  many  other  visitors  it  impresses 
as  being  Calvary,  and  'the  tomb  as  that  of  Joseph, 
far  more  forcibly  than  any  other  location  in  or  around 
Jerusalem. 

Just  in  front  of  the  sepulchre  is  a  level  plot  of  ground 
comprising  about  one-half  acre  of  land,  which  in  my 
opinion  was  the  garden  referred  to  in  the  scriptures. 
In  the  absence  of  a  knowledge  of  the  exact  location  of 
the  walls  of  the  city  at  the  time  of  the  Crucifixion, 
there  is  no  negative  process  of  reasoning  by  which  this 
place  could  be  excluded  ;  on  the  contrary,  every  scrip- 
tural requirement  is-  here  fulfilled,  which  is  more  than 
can  be  said  of  the  church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  which 
it  is  now  said  occupies  that  locality. 

Seated  in  a  Jerusalem  hack  with  a  pair  of  Jerusalem 
horses,  hack  and  horses  about  in  keeping  with  things 
in  general,  in  and  about  this  old  city — I  mean  that  they 
are  none  of  the  best,  being  kept  here  for  the  accom- 
modation of  tourists — horses  thin,  lean  and  lank ;  old, 
dilapidated  hacks;  old,  worn-out  men  in  rags  and 
tatters;  old  hags  of  women,  ragged  children  and  mangy 
dogs;  narrow,  filthy  streets;  low,  flat-roofed  houses, 
occupied  by  family,  donkey,  dogs  and  vermin — that's 


S76  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

Jerusalem  of  to-day,  once  called  the  holy  city,  the 
beautiful  city. 

With  an  Arab  driver  we  set  out  to  visit  the  city  of 
the  nativity  of  our  Lord,  Bethlehem  of  Judea.  From 
the  Joppa  gate  we  go  south,  crossing  the  valley  of 
Hinnom  or,  as  this  upper  part  of  it  is  called,  the  valley 
of  Gihon,  perhaps  at  the  same  place  Solomon  was 
anointed. 

Somewhere  near  here  the  aqueducts  which  brought 
water  from  Solomon's  pools  crosses  this  valley. 
Ascending  the  west  bank  of  this  valley  we  enter 
the  territory  of  the  tribe  of  Judah.  This  boundary 
line  is  described  as  running  on  the  top  of  the  mountain 
that  lyeth  before  the  valley  of  Hinnom  westward.  We 
leave  the  hill  of  evil  counsel  to  our  left.  Tradition 
informs  us  that  Caiaphus  had  a  residence  on  this  hill  in 
the  clays  of  the  Savior.  After  ascending  the  hill  we 
drive  over  the  rolling  plains  of  Rephriam.  The  table 
lands  and  valleys  south  of  Jerusalem  run  up  near  the 
city  and  afford  a  very  striking  contrast  with  the  rough, 
mountainous  sections  of  the  country  lying  around 
Jerusalem  in  other  directions. 

When  the  Philistines  heard  that  David  had  been 
anointed  king  over  Israel,  we  are  told  they  came  and 
spread  themselves  over  this  valley.-  David  routed 
them  and  burned  the  images  which  in  their  haste  they 
left  behind  them.  After  that  they  came  the  second 
time  unto  this  plain  to  give  David  battle.  In  this 
instance  the  Lord  directed  David  how  and  when  to 
attack  them.  David  was  again  successful,  and 
smote  the  Philistines  from  Geba  to  Gazer. 

I  have  no  doubt  but  that  we  are  now  riding  over  the 
same  road  that  the  wise  men  traveled  when  Herod 


AND   THE   HOLT   LAND.  377 

told  them  to  go  and  "  search  diligently  for  the  young 
child,  and  when  ye  have  found  him  bring  me  word 
again  that  I  may  worship  him."  What  a  wicked  old 
liar  Herod  was.  Instead  of  wanting  to  go  and  worship 
this  young  child,  he  intended  having  him  put  to  death. 
The  old  scamp  was  troubled  and  called  together  all  the 
chief  priests  and  scribes  of  the  people  and  demanded  of 
them  where  Christ  should  be  born.  He  seems  to  have 
been  apprised  of  the  fact  that  the  Jews  were  expecting 
and  looking  for  his  appearance,  but  it  seems  that  he 
had  never  read  the  prophecy  of  Micah  enunciated 
seven  hundred  years  before  that  time,  saying,  "  But 
thou,  Bethlehem  Ephratah,  though  thou  be  little  among 
the  thousands  of  Judah,  yet  out  of  thee  shall  he  come 
forth  unto  me  that  is  to  be  ruler  in  Israel;  whose  goings 
forth  have  been  from  of  old,  from  everlasting." 

It  would  seem  from  the  reading  of  the  scriptures 
that  bis  star  guided  the  wise  men  of  the  East  of 
Jerusalem  as  far  as  that  city,  and  then  disappeared 
until  they  passed  through  the  city,  for  you  notice  that 
it  says,  u  And  lo,  the  star  which  they  saw  in  the  east 
went  before  them  till  it  came  and  stood  over  where  the 
young  child  was,  and  when  they  saw  the  star  they 
rejoiced  with  exceeding  great  joy." 

"Why  is  this  plain  called  the  valley  ol  Rephriam  ? 
The  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  the  land  of  Canaan  are 
described  in  the  Bible  as  a  race  of  giants,  consisting  of 
the  Anakims,  the  Rephriams,  Enims,  Horims,  etc. 
Joshua  destroyed  these  people  and  their  cities,  except 
those  living  in  Gaza,  Gath  andAshdod.  This  plain 
therefore  retains  this  name  from  its  ancient  occupants. 
About  three  or  four  miles  out  on  this  road  we  come  to 


378  TBAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

a  substantially  built  monastery,  now  occupied  by  a  few 
Greek  monks. 

On  the  right-hand  side  of  the  road,  opposite  the 
monastery,  is  a  large  flat  stone  with  the  impression  of 
a  man  roughly  hewn  on  the  top  side  of  it.  You  remem- 
ber when  Ahab  told  Jezebel,  his  wife,  that  Elijah  had 
slain  four  hundred  of  the  prophets  of  Baal,  she  sent 
him  word  that  the  gods  might  kill  her  if  she  didn't  do 
unto  him  as  he  had  done  the  prophets  of  Baal,  by  that 
time  on  the  morrow.  It  has  always  been  funny  to  me 
how  panic-striken  Elijah  became  on  account  of  the 
threat  of  this  mean,  gabbling  woman.  We  are  told 
when  Elijah  heard  what  she  said,  "  He  went  for  his 
life."  That  is,  he  got  up  and  dusted,  and  on  his  way 
down  to  Beer-sheba  he  stopped  and  laid  down  on  this 
rock  to  rest  or  sleep,  and  when  he  got  up  left  that 
impression  of  himself  on  the  stone.  To  say  the  least 
of  it,  he  must  have  done  some  hard  sleeping.  .  What 
good  it  does  these  people  to  tell  such  yarns  as  this,  is 
more  than  I  can  tell.  It  seems  to  me  if  all  the  truth 
in  them  was  simmered  down  to  an  extract,  you  wouldn't 
get  enough  of  it  to  make  a  "  poor  man's  plaster." 

But  we  must  ride  on.  The  next  place  of  interest 
which  we  reach  is  the  tomb  of  Rachel.  It  was  no 
doubt  a  sad  day  for  Jacob  when,  three  thousand  six 
hundred  and  over  years  ago,  Rachel  died  here  on  the 
road-side.  Jacob  loved  Rachel.  Old  Laban,  his  father- 
in-law,  had  treated  him  shamefully.  After  Jacob  had 
rendered  him  seven  years  faithful,  honest  work  for  her, 
to  be  deceived  as  he  was!  We  learn  from  this  that 
fathers-in-law  can  be,  and  sometimes  are,  as  mean  as 
mothers-in-law.  Jacob  was  determined  to  have  Rachel, 
and,  instead  of  running  away  with  her  after  the  old 


AND  THE    HOLY    LAND.  379 

man  had  gone  to  bed,  as  the  young  folks  do  in  our  day, 
he  laid  off  his  coat  and  worked  another  seven  years  for 
her  "  whom  he  loved." 

"And  Rachel  died  and  was  buried  in  the  way  to 
Ephrah,  which  is  Bethlehem.  And  Jacob  sat  a  pillar 
upon  her  grave,  that  is  the  pillar  of  Rachel's  grave 
unto  this  day." 

The  building  that  stands  here  now  is  an  oblong  stone 
structure,  a  one-story  building  with  a  dome  over  one 
end  of  it.  Notwithstanding  the  dome  resembles  the 
innumerable  Moslem  welies  which  we  see  all  over  Pal- 
estine, and  even  the  sarcophagus  looks  modern,  still 
throughout  the  whole  of  the  Christian  period  the  tra- 
dition has  always  attached  to  this  same  spot,  and  for 
many  centuries  the  supposed  tomb  was  marked  by  a 
pyramid  of  stones.  The  stones  were  said  to  have  been 
twelve  in  number,  corresponding  to  the  number  of  the 
tribes  of  Israel.  Here  the  road  to  Hebron  turns  to  the 
right.  This  we  will  travel  on  our  return  as  far  as  the 
pools  of  Solomon. 

Half  a  mile  to  the  west  of  the  tomb  of  Rachael,  in 
full  view  and  prettily  located,  is  the  village  of  "  Beit 
Jala,"  located  on  the  site  of  ancient  Zelzah.  This 
was  the  home  of  Kish.  the  father  of  Saul,  and  it  appears 
from  the  history  given  us  of  the  burial  of  Saul  and 
Jonathan,  that  old  man  Kish  had  a  family  burying- 
ground  here. 

"  And  David  took  the  bones  of  Saul  and  the  bones 
of  Jonathan,  his  son,  from  the  men  of  Jabesh-gilead, 
who  had  stolen  them  from  the  street  of  Beth-shan, 
where  the  Philistines  had  hanged  them,  and  brought 
them  up  and  buried  the  bones  of  Saul  and  Jonathan, 


380  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

his  son,  in  the  country  of  Benjamin  in  Zelzah,  in  the 
sepulchre  of  Kish,  his  father." 

Again,  when  Saul  went  out  hunting  for  his  father's 
donkeys  and  went  as  far  as  Zuph,  and  Samuel,  being 
instructed  by  the  Lord,  anointed  him  king,  and  then 
told  him  he  would  find  two  men  at  Rachel's  sepulchre, 
in  the  border  of  Benjamin,  at  Zelzah,  and  that  these 
men  would  tell  him  that  his  father's  donkeys  were 
found,  and  that  the  old  man  Kish  was  very  uneasy  about 
him  ;  these  and  other  scriptures  identify  this  place  as 
the  home  of  Kish,  and  the  place  where  the  bones  of 
Saul  and  Jonathan,  his  son,  were  buried. 

Bethlehem,  the  birthplace  of  the  Savior  of  the  world, 
is  a  town  which  has  existed  for  thousands  of  years. 
The  houses  are  built  of  white  limestone  rock  and  are  a 
better  order  of  buildings  than  the  average  of  houses  in 
Jerusalem. 

It  has  a  population  of  about  five  thousand.  In 
Hebrew,  the  word  means  "  place  of  bread  "  or,  more 
generally,  "  place  of  food." 

We  learn  from  the  bible  that  the  inhabitants  of  this 
place  possessed  corn-fields,  vineyards  and  flocks,  and 
that   they   made  cheese.      There  is  certainly  a  very 
marked  contrast  in  the  country  around  Bethlehem  and' 
the  country  around  Jerusalem. 

When  Saul  sent  to  Jesse  for  David,  Jesse  took  a  don- 
key and  loaded  it  with  bread,  wine  and  kid  and  sent  it 
by  David  to  Saul.  And  David  went  and  returned 
from  Saul  to  tend  his  father's  sheep  at  Bethlehem.  And 
again  Jesse  said  to  David,  his  son,  "  Take  now  for  thy 
brethren  an  ephah  of  this  parched  corn,  and  these  ten 
loaves,  and  these  ten  cheeses  unto  the  captain  of  their 
thousand,"  etc. 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  381 

"  In  the  eyes  of  the  prophets,  Bethlehem  was  specially 
sacred  as  the  home  of  the  family  of  David,  and  the 
other  celebrated  members  of  the  same  family,  Joab, 
Asahel  and  Abishai,  who  once  resided  here."  "We 
learn  that  Rehoboam  fortified  Bethlehem  and  made  it 
one  of  his  strongholds.  The  town  is  two  thousand  five 
hundred  and  thirty -seven  feet  above  sea-level,  and 
built  upon  two  hills  running  east  and  west  and  con- 
nected with  each  other  by  a  short  saddle  or  lower  ridge 
of  land.  These  hills  slope  off  to  the  east  and  west 
much  more  gradually  than  to  the  north  and  south. 
They  hug  around  a  beautiful  valley  somewhat  in  the 
shape  of  a  half-moon.  This  valley  runs  north  to  near 
Jerusalem,  and  south  as  far  as  can  be  seen,  and  seems  to 
be  from  five  to  seven  miles  in  width,  it  may  be  more, 
lying  east  of  the  town. 

I  imagine,  and  tradition  says,  it  was  in  this  beautiful, 
fertile  valley  that  the  wheat-field  of  Boaz  lay  when 
Kuth  gleaned  the  ears  of  corn  after  the  reapers. 

Old  man  Boaz  played  that  little  game  of  courtship 
as  handsomely  as  anyone  could  have  done  it.  Read 
what  he  said  to  his  reapers  after  Ruth  had  eaten  and 
left  them :  "  Let  fall  also  some  of  the  handfuls  a.  pur- 
pose for  her"  The  old  fellow  won  her  heart  by  kind- 
ness and  then  bought  her  for  his  wife,  and,  reader,  do 
you  know  that  their  oldest  son,  Obed,  was  David's 
grandfather  ? 

Boaz  lived  here,  and  it  was  here  that  Naomi  and  Ruth 
came  when  they  came  from  the  land  of  Moab,  east  of 
Jordon.  Naomi  moved  with  her  husband,  Elimelech, 
from  Bethlehem  to  Moab,  when  there  was  a  famine  in 
the  land,  when  the  country  was  ruled  by  the  judges. 

But  more  than  all  this,  here  Christ,  the  son  of  the 


382  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

living  God,  was  born.  Over  in  that  valley  the  angel  of 
God  said  unto  the  shepherds :  "  Fear  not,  for  behold  I 
bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy,  which  shall  be  to 
all  people.  For  unto  you  is  born  this  day  in  the  city 
of  David,  a  Savior,  which  is  Christ  the  Lord.  And 
suddenly  there  was  with  the  angel  a  multitude  of  the 
heavenly  host,  praising  God,  saying  glory  to  God  in 
the  highest,  and  on  earth,  peace,  good  will  to  men." 

Although  the  Bethlehemites  live  chiefly  by  agricul- 
ture and  raising  cattle,  they  are  also  an  ingenious  people, 
and  many  of  them  are  occupied  in  the  manufacture  of 
images  of  saints,  rosaries,  crosses,  and  other  fancy 
articles  in  wood,  mother  of  pearl  and  coral.  They 
make  articles  of  the  peculiar  black  stone  called  "  stink 
stone,"  found  only  at  the  Dead  Sea.  The  streets  are 
narrow  and  very  rough.  Many  of  the  inhabitants  seem 
to  be  very  poor,  though  neater  and  better  looking  than 
the  Arabs. 

The  church  of  St.  Mary,  erected  over  the  traditional 
birthplace  of  Jesus,  lies  in  the  west  part  of  town,  and 
is  the  joint  property  of  the  Greeks,  Latins,  and  Arme- 
nians. 

This  church  forms  part  of  a  confused  pile  of  stone 
buildings,  which  includes,  besides  the  church  and  the 
chapel  next  to  it,  a  Latin,  a  Greek  and  an  Armenian 
convent.  "  We  enter  the  church  "through  a  small,  low 
door,  like  the  sally-port  of  a  fortification,  traverse  the 
long  nave,  pass  through  the  doors  in  the  partition  which 
has  been  erected  between  the  nave  and  transept  (greatly 
to  the  injury  of  the  architectural  effect),  and,  descend- 
ing about  ten  feet,  reach  the  birthplace  of  the  Savior, 
or  the  chapel  of  the  Nativity,  lighted  by  twenty  or 
more  lamps.  It  is  thirteen  and  one-half  yards  long, 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  383 

four  wide  and  ten  feet  high.  The  floor  is  of  marble 
and  the  walls  lined  with  marble.  "We  find  this  place 
decorated  with  an  abundance  of  embroidery  and  numer- 
ous lamps.  In  the  south  end  we  find  engraved  on  a 
silver  star  in  the  floor,  "  Here  Jesus  Christ  was  born  of 
the  Virgin  Mary."  Above  the  reputed  place  of  the 
nativity  sixteen  golden  lamps  are  kept  burning  day  and 
night.  Opposite  the  recess  of  the  nativity  are  three 
steps  descending  to  the  chapel  of  the  Manger,  in  which 
is  placed  a  manger,  or  donkey  trough,  made  of  marble. 
It  is  about  twelve  inches  square  and  some  three  feet 
long,  a  modern-made  aifair.  We  find  here,  as  in  the 
church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  it  requires  an  armed 
soldiery  to  quell  the  riots  and  to  keep  peace  among 
these  Christian  sects,  as  in  the  church  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre. 

Leaving  the  chapel  of  the  Nativity  we  next  enter  a 
long  subterranean  gallery,  which  leads  us  to  an  altar 
dedicated  to  Joseph,  where  they  say  the  angel  appeared 
to  him,  arid  commanded  him  to  flee  with  the  mother 
and  child  into  Egypt.  The  next  altar  is  said  to  be  over 
the  cave  into  which  was  thrown  the  young  children 
massacred  by  order  of  the  demon  Herod.  Next  we 
reach  the  tomb  of  Eusebius,  and  further  on,  at  the  end 
of  the  gallery,  the  tomb  and  chapel  of  St.  Jerome,  who 
lived  here  for  thirty  or  more  years.  Here  this  wonder- 
fully eccentric  scholar  not  only  revised  the  Latin  trans- 
lation of  the  Bible,  but  also,  by  the  aid  of  Jewish 
scholars,  translated  the  Old  Testament  directly  from 
the  Hebrew.  It  was  here  he  fasted,  prayed,  dreamed 
and  studied  and  gathered  around  him  followers,  who 
formed  the  beginning  of  convent  life  in  Palestine. 

"  We  now*  ascend  to  a  large  new  Chapel,  dedicated 


384  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

to  St.  Catherine. "  I  don't  know  which  one  of  the 
saints  Catherine  it  was,  for  the  Roman  Catholic  record 
has  no  less  than  six.  This  chapel  is  dedicated,  I  sup- 
pose, to  Catherine,  the  virgin  and  martyr,  whose  day 
of  commemoration  occurs  on  the  25th  day  of  Novem- 
ber. "  It  is  claimed  that  she  got  the  better  of  a  com- 
pany of  heathen  philosophers  in  a  religious  disputation. 
As  a  matter  of  revenge  she  was  bound  to  a  wheel 
armed  with  spikes  in  such  manner  that  at  every  turn 
of  the  wheel  the  spikes  should  pierce  her  body.  But 
the  cords  were  miraculously  broken,  and  the  malice  of 
her  enemies  spoiled;  or  it  may  be  dedicated  to  St 
Catherine  of  Siena,  "  of  whom  it  is  said  at  the  age  of 
five  years  it  was  her  practice  in  going  up  stairs  to  kneel 
to  the  Holy  Virgin  at  every  step. "  I  suppose  the  fash- 
ion of  going  up  the  sacred  steps  at  Rome,  of  which  I 
told  you,  is  patterned  after  this  foolish  fanatic.  At  six 
years  old  she  daily  flogged  herself.  At  seven  she 
deprived  herself  of  a  great  portion  of  her  food.  At  the 
same  age  she  would  watch  from  a  window  to  see  when 
a  Catholic  Monk  passed,  and  would  then  run  down  and 
kiss  the  spot  of  the  pavement  where  he  had  placed  his 
foot.  I  imagine  the  adoration  of  this  and  other  crazy 
creatures  fed  the  vanity  of  these  hypocritical  scamps. 
At  twelve  years  old  she  wholly  abandoned  animal  food 
and  at  fifteen  ceased  to  drink  wine.  At  twenty  she 
quit  eating  bread,  living  only  on  raw  or  uncooked  veg- 
etables. She  would  sleep  but  fifteen  or  twenty  min- 
utes in  every  twenty-four  hours.  She  flogged  herself 
three  times  a  day  till  the  blood  streamed  down  her 
body.  She  lived  three  years  without  speaking  to  any 
one.  She  wore  a  chain  of  iron  around  her  body,  which 
gradually  ate  its  way  into  her  flesh,  and  finally  she 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  385 

remained  wholly  without  food  for  many  years;  that 
surely  beats  Dr.  Tanner.  In  after  years  this  saint 
claimed  that  our  Savior  descended  from  heaven  and 
made  on  her  hands  and  feet  scars,  such  as  would  be 
supposed  to  have  been  made  upon  his  own  hands  and 
feet  by  the  nails  with  which  he  was  nailed  to  the  cross. 

As  before  stated,  I  don't  know  to  which  of  these  six 
fanatical  religious  cranks  this  chapel  is  dedicated,  nor 
do  I  suppose  that  it  makes  any  difference.  All  of  them 
ought  to  have  been,  in  mercy,  killed  and  letgotoheaven 
long  before  they  died. 

"We  next  pass  to  the  chapel  of  St.  Helena,  where  we 
find  forty-four  marble  columns,  which  were  taken  from 
Mt.  Moriah  and  supposed  to  have  been  in  the  porch 
of  the  temple.  This  building,  it  is  said,  was  erected  by 
Helena,  the  mother  of  Constantine  the  great,  in  327. 
It  is  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  long  by  one  hundred 
wide. 

"We  now  leave  this  convent  and  follow  a  street  run- 
ning south  of  the  convents  to  where  we  go  down  a 
flight  of  steps,  which  lands  us  into  a  grotto,  about  ten 
feet  in  the  ground.  This  seems  to  be  a  natural  cave  in 
the  soft  limestone  rock.  This  is  the  room  in  which 
Mary  remained  with  the  babe  Jesus  forty  days  (accord- 
ing to  Jewish  law),  or  until  she  was  able  to  travel,  and 
while  here,  it  is  said,  a  drop  of  the  Yirgin's  milk  fell  on 
the  ground;  this  rendered  the  whole  cave  holy,  of 
course.  And  now  it  is  claimed  that  a  small  bit  of  the 
stone  powdered  and  dropped  into  water,  and  the  water 
drank  at  intervals,  will  increase  the  flow  of  milk  in  the 
breasts  of  the  nursing  mother.  If  any  of  my  mother 
readers  have  Catholic  credulity  enough  to  believe  this 
and  wish  to  try  it,  lean  furnish  them  with  some  of  the 


386  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

"  milk  grotto  stone,"  as  I  don't  suppose  I  will  ever  have 
occasion  to  try  its  effect  upon  myself. 

In  following  the  subterranean  passage  spoken  of 
above,  a  round  hole  in  the  stone  floor  may  be  noticed. 
Here,  it  is  said,  water  gushed  out  for  the  use  of  the  holy 
family.  In  the  15th  century  an  absurd  tradition  was 
invented,  to  the  effect  that  the  star  which  guided  the 
magii  fell  into  the  spring,  and  I  suppose  was  put  out. 
Some  people  think  that,  at  certain,  intervals,  this  strange, 
new,  miraculous  star  may  now  be  seen  from  certain 
localities;  but  this  must  be  a  mistake,  as  we  learn  from 
the  above  tradition  that  it  was  "  put  out "  in  the  mirac- 
ulous spring. 

When  our  company  started  on  their  return  from 
Bethlehem,  one  of  the  carriages  knocked  down  and  ran 
over  a  Bethlehemite  child,  cutting  a  gash  some  two  or 
three  inches  long  on  its  head.  The  child,  of  some  four 
or  five  summers,  attempted  to  cross  the  narrow  street  in 
front  of  the  horses.  Dr.  Crunden,  our  guide,  interpre- 
ter and  teacher,  happened  to  be  in  the  carriage  that 
did  the  mischief.  It  was  but  the  act  of  a  moment. 
The  Doctor  sprang  out  of  the  carriage,  grabbed  the 
child  and  ran  up  the  street,  carrying  the  child  in  his 
arms.  As  he  ran  by  the  carriage  I  was  in  he  called 
me  to  follow  him.  A  native  conducted  him  up  the 
street  some  forty  or  fifty  steps  from  where  the  child 
was  hurt;  turning  at  a  right  angle  down  a  flight  of  steps 
in  a  narrow  alley  between  two  houses  to  the  left,  he 
reached  the  top  of  a  stairway.  The  stairway  landed 
near  the  door  of  the  home  of  the  child's  Daren ts.  The 
Doctor  carried  the  child  to  its  home. 

I  entered  the  room  soon  after  the  Doctor  got  in  with 
what  he  thought  was  the  dead  child.  Before  I  could 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  387 

set  to  examine  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  injury, 
the  natives  crowded  into  the  room  until  it  would  hold 
no  more.  Then  followed  a  scene  of  the  wildest 
excitement.  The  mother  went  into  hysterics  and  had 
a  regular  spell  of  the  jerks,  such  as  the  people  in  the  old 
times  used  to  have  when  they  "got  happy  at  the  big 
meetings."  If  the  reader  is  an  old  gentleman  or  an  old 
lady,  he  will  remember  when  the  jerks  was  the  fash- 
ionable way  of  giving  expression  to  an  overflow  of 
religious  feelings.  The  old  ladies  and  maids  in  "  emo- 
tional revival  meetings"  don't  resort  to  the  jerks  now- 
adays, but  dance  about,  clap  their  hands  and  give  vent 
to  their  overwrought  feelings  in  shouts  and  hysterical 
laughter.  These  good  people  with  nervous  tempera- 
ments and  emotional  natures  can't  control  their  feel- 
ings. It  is  best  that  they  should  not — let  them  shout,  it 
does  them  good  and  it  is  healthy — it  is  good  "physical 
culture."  I  don't  like,  however,  to  see  this  class  of 
revivalists  sleep  through  the  sermon  and  then  rouse  up 
and  bring  in  their  work  on  .the  "  home  stretch." 

The  father  of  the  child  jerked  and  slobbered  like  he 
had  hydrophobic  convulsions.  The  room  was  full  of 
loud  talking,  and  seemingly  very  angry  men,  using 
menacing  gestures.  I  could  see  that  Dr.  Crunden  was 
very  much  excited  and  was  using  every  means  in  his 
power  to  pacify  them,  and  to  induce  them  to  let  me 
examine  the  child.  Although  I  could  not  understand 
a  word  that  was  said,  I  could  comprehend  enough  to 
render  me  uneasy.  I  noticed  that  they  had  shut  and 
fastened  the  door,  so  there  was  no  chance  of  escape. 
After  awhile  the  mob,  for  it  was  nothing  more  nor  less, 
consented  for  me  to  dress  the  wound.  The  child  had 
been  struck  by  the  carriage  wheel  and  stunned,  but 


388  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

returned  to  consciousness  soon  after  we  reached  the 
room,  and  set  up  such  a  howl  as  only  an  Arab  cub  or 
dervish  can  master.  I  had  to  send  out  to  get  a  vessel 
of  water  and  a  cloth,  to  wash  the  wound  with,  there 
being  nothing  of  the  kind  in  the  room.  In  fact,  there 
was  nothing  in  the  room  except  a  few  mats  spread  upon 
the  ground  floor,  used,  I  suppose,  for  bedding.  As  soon 
as  I  washed  the  blood  from  the  wound  and  face  of  the 
child,  closed  the  wound,  applied  a  compress  and  band- 
age over  the  wound,  and  hid  it  from  their  sight,  they 
seemed  to  get  more  quiet.  Like  some  animals  the 
sight  of  blood  made  them  mad.  After  which,  by  the 
payment  of  a  few  dollars  to  the  parents,  the  door  was 
opened,  and  we  were  all  happy  again.  At  least,  I 
know  Dr.  Crunden  and  myself  felt  relieved  after  get- 
ting out  of  the  house  and  on  the  street  again. 

After  getting  away  from  the  town  I  asked  the  Doctor 
what  was  said  during  the  excitement  between  himself 
and  the  mob — that  things  looked  threatening  to  me. 
He  said  we  were  in  great  danger  at  one  time.  He  said 
he  told  them  "that  I  was  a  big,  savage  man,  and  a 
doctor,  and  if  they  hurt  me  I  would  kill  a  dozen  of 
them ;  but  if  they  would  be  quiet  and  would  let  me,  I 
would  dress  the  child's  head,  and  it  would  soon  be  well 
again."  Fortunately,  the  child  was  not  seriously  hurt. 
The  Arab  driver  of  the  carriage  that  struck  the  child,  I 
suppose,  realizing  the  danger  he  was  in,  or  would  be  in 
if  caught,  put  whip  to  his  horses,  and  drove  out  of 
town. 

Togo  from  Bethlehem  to  Solomon's  pools  in  a  carriage 
we  go  back  on  the  road  leading  to  Jerusalem  as  far  as 
Rachel's  tomb,  and  then  turn  to  the  right,  taking  the 
main  road  which  goes  to  Hebron.  Five  miles  below 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  389 

Bethlehem  we  reach  the  pools,  three  in  number.  They 
are  situated  in  an  uncultivated  valley  which  slopes 
towards  the  east.  The  highest  of  the  pools  is  bounded 
on  the  west  side  by  the  road  leading  from  Jerusalem 
to  Hebron.  The  valley  in  which  the  pools  are  built 
descends  so  abruptly  that  an  embankment  of  immense 
size  would  have  had  to  be  built  to  confine  the  water  in 
a  single  large  reservoir. 

Owing  to  the  abrupt  descent  of  the  valley,  the  pools 
are  constructed  in  steps,  one  below  the  other.  The 
lowest  of  the  three  was  always  filled  first,  and  the  other 
two  in  succession,  and  were  emptied  in  the  same  wav; 
each,  when  emptied,  being  refilled  from  the  one  above  it. 
The  second,  or  middle,  pool  is  fifty-three  yards  distant 
from  the  highest  pool  and  about  twenty  feet  lower 
than  the  one  above  it,  while  the  lowest  pool  is  fifty-two 
yards  lower  down  the  valley  than  the  middle  one,  and 
about  nineteen  or  twenty  feet  lower. 

The  highest  pool  is  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
yards  long,  and  seventy -six  wide  at  the  top  and  seventy- 
nine  at  the  lower  or  east  end,  and  twenty-five  feet 
deep.  It  is  partly  hewn  in  the  rock  and  partly  enclosed 
in  masonry. 

The  second  or  middle  pool  is  one  hundred  and  forty- 
one  yards  long  and  fifty -three  wide  at  the  upper  end 
and  eighty-three  below.  The  lowest  pool  is  the  finest 
of  the  three.  It  is  one  hundred  and  ninety-four  yards 
long,  forty -nine  yards  wide  at  the  top  and  sixty-nine 
at  the  lower  end,  and  forty-eight  feet  deep.  Like  the 
others,  it  is  partly  hewn  in  the  rock  and  partly  built 
up  with  masonry.  There  is  a  castle,  as  it  is  called, 
near  the  uppermost  pool,  a  large,  square  building  with 
corner  towers.  It  was  erected  for  protection  against 


390  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

the  Beduins,  and,  I  was  informed,  was  still  garrisoned 
with  a  few  soldiers.' 

About  one  hundred  and  fifty  paces  west  of  the  pool 
is  the  "  sealed  fountain,"  a  large  spring,  or,  rather, 
several  springs.  The  water  from  these  different  springs 
unite  in  a  basin,  from  which  it  is  conducted  by  a 
channel  to  a  water  fountain  above  the  first  pool  ;  part 
of  it,  however,  flowing  in  the  old  conduit  which  passes 
the  pools.  There  is  a  spring  in  the  castle  ;  besides  this 
and  the  sealed  fountain  springs,  there  are  two  other 
fine  bold  springs  near  the  pool. 

Below  the  pools  is  a  fine  valley  called  Etam;  the  land 
is  very^  fertile  and  susceptible  of  being  irrigated  by  the 
water  from  the  springs  above.  But  little  of  the  valley 
and  the  surrounding  table  lands,  however,  are  in  culti- 
vation. The  Arabs  in  Palestine  are  an  indolent,  lazy, 
trifling,  unprincipled  set  of  people.  But  I  think  they 
have  been  degraded  by  their  government  and  by  their 
religion. 

Thomas  Carlyle  says  :  "A  man's  or  a  nation's  relig- 
ion is  the  chief  factor  with  regard  to  them."  He  defines 
religion  to  be  not  the  articles  of  a  man's  faith,  nor  his 
professions  nor  assertions,  but,  "  the  thing  a  man  does 
practically  believe,  the  thing  a  man  does  practically 
lay  to  heart  and  know  for  certain  concerning  his 
vital  relations  to  this  mysterious  universe  and 
his  duty  and  destiny  here.  That  is  in  all  cases  the 
primary  thing  for  him,  and  creatively  determines  all 
the  rest." 

Reader,  it  is  understood  that  we  next  visit  Jericho, 
and  the  ford  of  the  Jordan,  and  the  Dead  Sea.  Our 
route  carries  us  along  the  north  wall  of  Jerusalem,  down 
the  long,  steep  hill  near  the  northeast  corner  of  the 


AND  THE   HOLY    LAND.  391 

city  wall,  across  the  valley  of  Kedron  ;  here  we  turn 
down  the  valley,  leaving  the  garden  of  Gethsemane  on 
our  left.  Our  road  turns  down  the  valley  skirting  the 
Mount  of  Olives.  Understand,  we  are  leaving  Mt.  Olivet 
to  the  left ;  the  road  skirts  the  mountain  and  gradually 
ascends.  Just  below  the  garden  a  place  is  pointed  out 
where  Judas  is  said  to  have  hanged  himself,  and,  a  little 
further  on,  the  site  of  the  fig  tree  which  was  cursed  by 
Christ. 

In  eighteen  or  twenty  minutes  more  we  reach  the 
site  of  old  Bethany.  John  says  :  "Now  Bethany  was 
nigh  unto  Jerusalem,  about  fifteen  fnrlongs  off."  The 
name  signifies  "house  of  poverty."  It  is  situated  on 
a  well  cultivated  spur  of  the  Mount  of  Olives  on  the  bor- 
der of  the  wilderness  of  Judea.  The  town  now  con- 
sists of  some  thirty  or  forty  Arab  hovels. 

A  short  distance  beyond  Bethany  we  descend  a  long 
hill,  at  the  foot  of  which  is  En-shemeth,  mentioned  by 
Joshua  in  describing  the  borders  of  the  territory  given 
the  tribe  of  the  children  of  Judah. 

From  Bethany  to  Jericho  there  are  no  houses.  The 
road  runs  through  the  northern  part  of  the  wilder- 
ness of  Judea,  a  barren,  mountainous  section  of  country 
lying  between  Jerusalem  and  the  Dead  Sea.  These 
mountains  are  composed  of  soft  white  limestone,  which 
at  a  distance  makes  them  look  as  though  they  were 
covered  with  snow.  Occasionally  we  meet  squads  of 
wild,  fierce-looking  Bedouins.  They  are  generally 
armed  with  long  flintlock  muskets,  old  flintlock  pistols, 
long  spears  and  swords. 

"We  have  for  an  escort,  however,  a  sheik  and  several 
of  his  men,  who  guarantee  us  safe  transit  to  the  Jordan 


392  TRAVELS   IN    ECJYPT 

and  back.  Consequently  we  apprehend  no  danger  from 
these  savage-looking  fellows. 

Our  road  leads  us  down,  down,  down  ;  in  this  thirty 
miles  ride  we  go  down  three  thousand  six  hundred  and 
ninety  feet.  In  speaking  of  an  incident  which  occurred 
on  this  road,  Jesus  said :  "  A  certain  man  went  down 
from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho  and  fell  among  thieves 
which  stripped  him  of  his  raiment  and  wounded 
him  and  departed,  leaving  him  half  dead." 

Jericho,  as  we  shall  find,  was  located  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountains  in  the  valley  of  the  Jordan,  which,  as 
just  stated,  is  over  three  thousand  and  six  hundred  feet 
below  Jerusalem.  And  from  the  looks  of  some  of  these 
Bedouins  we  are  meetiug  along  the  road,  if  we  were  not 
protected  by  our  passports  and  escort,  they  might  treat 
us  in  the  same  way.  "We  learn  one  lesson,  however,  as 
we  ride  along  this  road  passing  deep  gorges  and  around 
naked,  barren  and  lonely  hills,  and  that  is,  it  gives  one 
a  far  better  opinion  of  the  man's  goodness  of  heart  and 
a  far  more  exalted  opinion  of  the  moral  courage  of  a 
man  who  dared  to  care  for  the  lonely  wounded  stranger 
whom  he  found  lying  by  the  roadside. 

About  half  way  between  Jerusalem  and  Jericho, 
we  came  to  a  Khan  or  stopping  house  on  the  left-hand 
side  of  the  road.  Here  we  find  our  lunch  tent  stretched 
and  lunch  ready.  So  we  will  dismount  and  rest  for  a 
while. 

This  old  Khan  or  tavern  is  said  to  stand  upon  the  site 
of  the  old  tavern  mentioned  in  the  scriptures  above 
referred  to.  This  is  an  old  stone  structure  situated 
on  the  roadside  with  an  enclosure  in  the  rear. 

It  has  an  old  solitary  appearance  as  though  it  might 
be  the  veritable  inn  to  which  the  Samaritan  took  the 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  393 

poor,  unfortunate,  wounded  stranger.  I  am  inclined 
to  believre  it  is  the  same  inn,  for  had  the  tremor  of  an 
earthquake  or  the  ravages  of  time  destroyed  the  first  inn 
I  don't  think  there  could  possibly  be  found  an  induce- 
ment of  sufficient  promise  to  have  incited  in  either  a  Pal- 
estine Jew  or  Arab  energy  or  enterprise  enough  to  have 
caused  him  to  rebuild  a  tavern  in  such  a  locality. 

Header,  did  you  ever  ride  down  hill  for  a  whole  day  ? 
If  not,  I  am  sure  you  have  no  reason  to  envy  him  who 
has.  I  found  it  the  most  fatiguing  traveling  I  have 
ever  experienced.  For  a  few  miles  before  reaching  the 
Jordan  valley  the  road  leads  us  along  the  brow  of  the 
ridge,  having  a  deep,  abrupt'gorge  on  the  left.  Coming 
up  from  the  bottom  of  this  gorge  we  heard  the  merry, 
cheery  rippling  of  water.  This  is  not  one  of  Tenny- 
son's brooks,  however,  of  which  he  says:  "Men  may  come 
and  men  may  go,  but  I  go  on  forever,  I  go  on  forever." 
In  an  old  book  of  Jewish  history  we  read  of  a  Tishbite  to 
whom  the  word  of  the  Lord  came,  saying  .  "  Get  thee 
hence  and  turn  thee  eastward,  and  hide  thyself  by 
the  brook  Cherith  that  is  before  Jordan.  And  it  shall 
be  thou  shalt  drink  of  the  brook,  and  I  have  commanded 
the  ravens  to  feed  there."  By  the  by,  has  the  original 
word  here  translated  ravens  the  right  translation  or 
rendering  ?  The  same  word  means  Arab,  and,  at  the 
time  here  spoken  of,  wandering  Arabs  were  traveling 
to  and  fro  through  this  wilderness. 

But,  after  a  while,  this  brook  Cherith  dried  up 
because  there  had  been  no  rain  in  the  land.  Some  mile 
or  so  before  coming  to  the  top  of  the  hill  that  overlooks 
the  Jordan  valley  we  see  clinging,  as  it  were,  to  the 
side  of  the  high  rocky  hill  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  brook  a  small  stone  building  which  is  said  to  be 


394:  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

erected  over  the  hiding  place  of  the  ancient  prophet. 
Passing  this  on  the  left  we  soon  reach  the  fertile  valley 
of  the  far-famed  Jordan.  Soon  after  entering  the  val- 
ley we  pass  on  the  right  the  remains  of  the  pool  of 
Herod.  This  pool  was  one  hundred  and  eighty-eight 
yards  long  and  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  wide,  built 
of  stone  nearly  all  above  ground. 

Kemains  of  an  aqueduct  leading  from  the  pool  of  the 
prophets  to  the  pool  of  Herod  are  now  to  be  seen.  It 
appears  to  have  been  filled  with  water  from  the  pool  of  the 
Prophets,  some  half  mile  or  more  distant.  As  we  pro- 
ceed across  the  valley  we  cross  a  beautiful  stream,  its 
clear,  transparent  waters  flowing  over  its  rocky  bed 
with  a  rapid  current.  This  stream  is  some  fifteen  or 
more  feet  wide  and  is  formed  by  the  confluence  of 
smaller  streams  (the  brook  Cherith  being  one  of  the 
number)  which  flow  down  from  the  mountains,  making 
its  way  across  the  valley,  emptying  into  the  Jordan 
between  the  ford  and  the  Dead  Sea.  After  crossing 
this  creek  we  soon  pass  a  modern  hotel,  which  has  been 
erected  in  the  valley  for  the  accommodation  of  travelers. 
A  short  distance  beyond  the  hotel  we  find  our  tents 
pitched  upon  the  site  of  old  Gilgal. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  ND  now,  reader,  we  are  in  one  of  the  most  inter- 
-£JL-  esting  localities  upon  the  face  of  the  earth,  if  we 
are  on  the  site  of  Gilgal,  and  there  is  no  reason  to 
doubt  it.  We  know  it  was  betweenthe  ford  of  the 
Jordan  where  Joshua  led  the  children  of  Israel  across, 
into  the  long-promised  land,  after  having  wandered  for 
forty  years  in  the  wilderness,  and  the  old  city  of  Jeri- 
cho. And  we  are  now  camped  between  those  two 
points.  If  we  are  not  on  the  exact  site  of  old  Gilgal, 
where  Joshua  camped  with  his  thousands  of  warriors, 
we  must  be  very  near  it. 

Furthermore,  an  encampment  of  this  number  of  war- 
riors would  spread  over  considerable  ground,  and  they 
would  be  likely  to  pitch  their  tents  convenient  to  water, 
and  here  we  have  Cherith,  just  south  of  our  tents,  wend- 
ing its  way  to  the  Jordan. 

Here  Joshua  built  an  altar  to  the  Lord  with  twelve 
stones,  which  they  took  out  of  Jordan.  Here  also  the 
rite  of  circumcision  was  renewed,  a  rite  which  had  not 
been  practiced  by  the  children  of  Israel  during  their 
sojourn  in  the  wilderness,  and  all  the  males  which  came 
out  of  Egypt,  except  Joshua  and  Caleb,  having  died  in 
the  wilderness,  the  whole  of  the  Israelite  males  had  to 
be  circumcised. 

Here  they  kept  the  passover,the  day  after  which  the 
manna  with  which  they  had  been  fed,  during  their 
sojourn  in  the  wilderness,  ceased.  To  this  place  Samuel 
sent  Saul  to  offer  sacrifices,  saying:  "  Go  down  before 
me  to  Gilgal,  and  behold  I  will  come  down  to  thee  to 


396  TRAVELS   1ST   EGYPT 

offer  burnt  offerings,  and  to  sacrifice  sacrifices  of  peace 
offerings.  Seven  days  shalt  thou  tarry  till  I  come  to 
thee  and  show  thee  what  thou  shalt  do." 

Saul  having  tarried  till  the  seven  days  had  passed, 
and  Samuel  not  coming  as  he  had  promised,  Saul  made 
a  burnt  offering  himself.  As  soon  as  he  had  made  an 
end  of  the  burnt  offering,  however,  Samuel  came  and 
told  him  he  had  done  foolishly ;  "  that  he  hadn't  kept 
the  commandment  of  the  Lord  ;"  had  he  done  so,  the 
Lord  would  have  established  his  reign  over  Israel  for- 
ever, but  now  his  kingdom  should  not  continue,  but 
should  be  given  to  a  man  after  his  own  heart,  etc.,  i.  e., 
a  king  to  God's  liking. 

As  I  have  just  said,  this  is  one  of  the  most  interesting 
places  on  earth  to  one  who  loves  the  bible  and  takes  an 
interest  in  God's  dealings  with  his  own  peculiar  peo- 
ple, from  whom  should  descend,  as  had  been  foretold,  the 
Savior  of  the  world.  See  what  a  group  of  noted 
places  surround  us.  When  we  look  south  of  us  down 
this  open  plain,  which  is  from  five  to  eight  miles  in 
width,  we  see  the  Dead  Sea  framed  with  mountains; 
the  high  mountains  of  Moab  border  the  east,  and  of 
Judea  on  the  west;  we  see  the  high  barren  chalk  hills 
comprising  the  wilderness  of  Judea,  out  of  which  came 
John  the  Baptist,  of  whom  the  prophet  said,  seven  hun- 
dred years  before:  "  The  voice  of  him  that  crieth  in  the 
wilderness,  prepare  'ye  the  way  of  the  Lord.  Make 
straight  in  the  desert  a  highway  for  our  Lord." 

Now  read  this  statement  and  see  if  you  don't  think 
the  prophecy  fulfilled:  "  In  those  days  came  John  the 
Baptist  preaching  in  the  wilderness  of  Judea.  The 
voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness,  prepare  ye  the 
way  of  the  Lord.  Make  His  paths  straight."  Another 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  39 7 

man  of  inspiration  says:  u  John  did  baptize  in  the  wil- 
derness and  preach  the  baptism  of  repentance  for  the 
remission  of  sins."  John  himself  says  when  the  Jews 
and  Levites  sent  two  men  (phansees)  from  Jerusalem 
to  ask  him  who  he  was  he  said:  "I  am  the  voice  of  one 
crying  in  the  wilderness.  Make  straight  the  way  of 
the  Lord,  as  said  the  prophet  Esaias. 

u  He  it  is  who  coming  after  me  is  preferred  before 
me,  whose  shoe  latchet  I  am  unworthy  to  unloose." 
And  of  whom  the  next  day  John  said:  "  Behold  the  lamb 
of  God  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world." 

The  east  border  of  this  now  barren  valley  grown  up 
here  and  there  with  underbrush  is  bordered  by  the 
mountains  of  Moab.  As  we  run  our  eyes  along  over  the 
tops  of  these  mountains  we  see  one  that  lifts  its  hoary 
head  above  its  fellows.  That  is  Mt.  Pisgah.  It  does 
not  stand  out  separate  and  isolated  from  its  comrades 
as  does  Mt.  Sinai  or  old  snow-crowned  Hermon  which 
we  see  far  to  the  north  of  us;  but  still,  it  overlooks  the 
others  by  which  it  is  surrounded,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  I 
have  been  more  honored  than  you  all." 

Perhaps  there  is  no  mountain  on  this  planet  of  ours 
around  the  summit  of  which  clusters  a  more  touching 
scene  to  contemplate  than  this.  Here  Moses,  through 
whom  the  God  of  the  universe  brought  down  the 
lightnings  and  thunder  of  heaven,  yea,  and  even  the 
angel  of  death  to  melt  the  hardened  heart  of  Pharaoh, 
and  who  had  borne  with  the  murmuring,  the  discontent, 
and  rebellious  spirit  of  the  Israelites  during  their  forty 
years  of  pilgrimage  in  the  wilderness ;  he  who  had 
escaped  the  wrath  of  Pharaoh  and  his  hosts  when  pur- 
sued, and  guided  by  the  pillar  of  fire  by  night  and  the 
cloud  by  day  had  brought  this  large  concourse  of  peo- 


398  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

pie  out  of  the  land  of  bondage,  and  now  in  the  full  sight 
of  the  promised  land,  was  taken  upon  the  top  of  Mt. 
Pisgah,  there  to  die  in  the  presence  of  God  only. 

When  we  scrutinize  the  character  of  Moses  and 
review  his  acts  from  the  time  God  spoke  to  him  from 
the  burning  yet  not  consumed  bush,  with  one  single 
exception,  "he  is  the  same  sublime,  majestic  charac- 
ter ;  Noble  by  nature,  great  by  his  mission,  and  greater 
still  by  the  manner  he  accomplished  it.  We  look  at  him 
as  he  stretches  out  one  hand  over  the  surging  waters  of 
the  Eed  Sea,  lifting  the  other  to  heaven,  when  the 
'waters  crouched  at  his  feet,'  and  the  host  of  Israel 
passed  through  on  dry  land.  We  see  him  again  lifting  a 
brazen  serpent  in  the  midst  of  the  groans  and  cries  of 
those  bitten  by  the  flying  serpents  in  the  midst  of  the 
encampment ;  again,  when  standing  shoeless  while 
the  lightnings  of  Sinai  play  around  his  head  and  talk- 
ing with  the  mighty  maker  of  heaven  and  earth  face  to 
face  as  friend  talks  to  friend."  "We  find  him  the  same 
great,  grand,  unflinching,  unwavering  servant  of  God. 
And  now  he  has  bidden  the  host  of  Israel  farewell, 
has  looked  for  the  last  time  on  the  white  tents  of 
Israel.  He  takes  one  long  look  at  Canaan,  miraculously 
spread  before  him.  His  eye  sweeps  over  that  fertile 
land,  and  as  the  picture  and  all  the  earthly  pictures 
fade  from  his  mind,  the  happy  Canaan  above,  his  eter- 
nal home,  bursts  upon  his  enraptured  vision,  never  more 
to  be  effaced. 

Alone  with  God.  The  cold,  unfeeling,  unconscious 
rocks  hear  his  last  prayer  and  witness  the  dying  groans 
of  this  old  faithful  servant  as  he  conquers  his  last 
enemy,  death,  and  God  buried  him.  "  There  he  slept 
alone  on  Pisgah's  top.  The  mountain  cloud,  which 


AND   THE    HOLY   LAND.  399 

* 

nightly  hung  round  him,  his  only  shroud,  and  the  thun- 
der of  the  passing  storm  his  only  dirge.  There  he 
slept,  while  centuries  as  the  days  rolled  by,  his  lonely 
grave  unknown,  unvisited,  until  at  length  he  is  seen 
standing  with  Christ  on  the  mount  of  transfiguration. 
Over  Jordan  at  last,  in  Canaan  at  last." 

As  we  look  down  the  valley  of  the  Jordan,  ten  miles 
below  us,  the  Dead  Sea  drops  in,  as  it  were,  and  takes 
the  place  of  the  valley,  filling  the  space  between  the 
high  mountains  on  each  side.  As  we  approach  the  sea 
from  above  we  come  to  a  beautiful  gravelly  beach 
which  slopes*down  to  the  water's  edge.  This  sea  is  ten 
miles  wide,  forty -five  long,  and  has  a  mean  depth  of  one 
thousand  feet. 

Before  visiting  the  Dead  Sea,  I  had  read  that  the 
surface  of  the  water  was  covered  with  a  scum  of  bitu- 
men ;  that  the  water  had  a  strong  odor  of  sulphur ; 
that  birds  in  attempting  to  fly  over  it  would  fall  dead, 
and  that  persons  bathing  in  it  would  afterward  break 
out  with  a  pricking,  burning  rash  of  the  skin,  etc.,  all 
of  which  I  found  to  be  a  mistake. 

It  is  a  beautiful  sea  of  clear  salt  water,  holding  in 
solution  twenty -five  percent,  of  salts,  one-half  of  which 
is  pure  salt.  Ocean  water  holds  in  solution  three  and 
one-half  per  cent,  of  salts.  Fish,  therefore,  taken  from 
the  Atlantic  or  Mediterranean  and  put  into  the  Dead 
Sea  would  die  almost,  if  not  quite,  as  soon  as  they  would 
if  kept  out  of  water  altogether.  I  learn  that  large  beds 
of  bitumen  have  long  been  known  to  exist  in  certain 
localities  in  the  bottom  of  the  Dead  Sea,  but  it  never 
comes  to  the  surface  except  when  loosened  by  earth- 
quakes or  storms,  and,  being  heavier  than  the  water, 
soon  settles  to  the  bottom  again.  There  is  no  odor  or 


400  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

vapor  arising  from  the  surface  of  the  water  to  affect  a 
bird-or  other  fowl  from  flying  over  it. 

It  has  no  living  thing  in  its  waters ;  for  I  know  of  no 
fish  or  marine  animal  that  could  live  long  in  water  as 
strongly  impregnated  with  salt  as  this  is.  Lieutenant 
Lynch  writes  that  his  men  were  troubled  with  a  skin 
rash  after  bathing  in  the  Dead  Sea.  But  I  remember 
Lieutenant  Lynch  was  there  in  the  summer  season,  and 
I  am  very  confident  his  men  were  troubled  with  what 
is  called  "  the  heat,"  a  rash  which  is  very  frequently 
produced  by  the  intense  heat  of  the  sun,  and  its  invasion 
very  frequently  ushered  in  by  bathing.  At  all  events, 
some  half  a  dozen  or  more  of  our  company,  both 
gentlemen  and  ladies,  took  a  bath  in  its  waters,  and 
found  it  very  refreshing  indeed,  nor  was  it  followed  by 
a  rash  or  any  other  unpleasant  symptom.  There  is 
nothing  strange  or  wonderful  in  the  appearance  of  this 
sea,  unless  it  be  its  lonely,  desolate,  isolated  location. 
There  is  no  sign  of  life  in,  around  or  about  it.  The 
mountains  around  it  are  destitute  of  verdure,  and  it  is 
dead  in  name,  dead  in  appearance,  and  dead  in  reality. 

It  has  no  outlet,  and  in  the  very  nature  of  the  case 
it  is  impossible  for  it  to  have  an  outlet.  The  level  of 
the  Dead  Sea  is  twelve  hundred  and  ninety  feet  below 
the  level  of  the  Mediterranean.  If  the  two  bodies  of 
water  were  in  any  way  connected,  the  Mediterranean 
would  pour  its  water  into  the  Dead  Sea  until  it  brought 
it  to  a  level  with  itself,  after  which  the  current  from 
the  one  to  the  other  would  cease  to  flow. 

The  greatest  depth  of  the  Dead  Sea  is  something 
over  thirteen  hundred  feet.  Its  depth,  however,  is 
increased  during  the  rainy  season,  when  there  is  an 
increased  flow  of  water  poured  into  it ;  but  it  is  again 


AND  THE   HOLT    LAND.  401 

lowered  by  evaporation  during  the  long,  hot,  dry 
months  of  summer  and  autumn. 

There  is  an  impression  that  the  Dead  Sea  occupies 
the  site  formerly  occupied  by  the  cities  of  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah.  But  the  scriptures  teach  us  that  this  sea 
existed  here  before  those  cities  were  destroyed.  I  think 
it  is  plain  that  they  were  located  in  the  Jordan  valley 
somewhere  near  this  great  salt  sea,  as  it  is  termed  in 
the  scriptures,  but  not  where  the  sea  now  is.  (Read 
Genesis,  14th  chapter.) 

The  Dead  Sea  on  an  air  line  is  sixty-five  miles  dis- 
tant from  the  sea  of  Galilee,  and  its  level  six  hundred 
and  sixty-seven  feet  below  that  sea.  The  total  depth 
of  the  basin  of  the  Dead  Sea  below  the  Mediterranean 
is  twenty-six  hundred  feet.  Jerusalem  is  three  thou- 
sand six  hundred  and  ninety-seven  feet  above  the  level 
of  this  sea,  and  only  fifteen  miles  distant  from  it  on  a 
straight  line ;  thirty  miles  distant  by  the  winding,  zig- 
zag road. 

It  has  been  calculated  by  competent  engineers  that 
upon  an  average  six  millions  of  tons  of  water  run  into 
the  Dead  Sea  daily.  The  whole  of  this  prodigious 
quantity  must  be  carried  off  by  evaporation  and  absorp- 
tion. 

The  little  river  Jordan,  called  by  some  a  "branch," 
supplies  three-fourths  or  more  of  this  immense  quan- 
tity of  water  which  daily  finds  its  way  into  this  unique 
sea. 

I  come  now  to  speak  of  this  principal  river  in  Pales- 
tine, the  far-famed,  much-abused  Jordan.  There  have 
been  more  egregious  lies  told  about  this  river  than 
about  any  other  little  stream  in  the  universe.  Some 
say  it  is  a  little  branch,  that  you  can  stop  its  flowing 


402  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

waters  with  the  foot.  Je-ru-sa-lem,  what  a  foot.  I 
would  like  to  see  a  foot  a  hundred  feet  long.  Some 
say  its  banks  are  high  and  abrupt,  and  consequently  it 
is  impossible  to  get  down  into  the  stream  even  to 
make  a  man  kneel  down  to  be  baptized,  by  pouring, 
.sprinkling,  or  to  be  immersed.  Others  say  there  is  too 
much  water,  that  it  is  too  deep,  that  it  is  dangerous  to 
go  into  the  stream  at  all.  I  am  sorry  that  this  class  of 
men,  who,  it  appears  to  me,  have  more  sectarianism  in 
their  heads  than  religion  in  their  hearts,  can't  come 
to  a  knowledge  of  the  facts  in  regard  to  this  little 
river  and  tell  the  truth  about  it.  Just  before  I  left 
home  to  visit  these  far  away  lands  I  sat  for  an  hour 
and  listened  to  a  little  ignoramus  assert  and  reassert 
that  there  was  not  water  enough  in  river,  lake  or 
pool  in  all  Palestine  to  baptize  a  man.  I  learned  a 
few  days  after  that  the  little  man,  for  whom  I  have 
great  sympathy,  had  but  a  short  time  before  been 
turned  out  of  an  insane  asylum.  I  guess  he  has  been 
carried  back  before  this.  The  physicians  erred  in  per- 
mitting him  to  leave  the  asylum.  The  man  was  not 
cured,  he  was  a  lunatic;  but  what  right  have  such  men 
to  preach  ? 

What  is  the  use  of  misrepresenting  physical  facts 
and  telling  actual  falsehoods  to  support  an  opinion  or  be- 
lief. If  one  individual  believes  the  pouring  of  water  upon 
a  person  to  be  baptism,  and  another  believes  that  the 
sprinkling  of  water  upon  another  is  baptism,  and  another 
believes  that  a  person  must  be  put  under  the  water, 
head  and  ears,  in  order  to  be  baptized,  whose  business  is 
it  ?  If  he  has  a  love  for  God  in  his  heart  and  is  trying 
to  live  a  holier,  better  life,  if  he  is  aspiring  to  love  God 
supremely  and  his  neighbor  as  himself,  is  he  not  ful- 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  403 

filling  the  law  of  God  ?  If  either  one  of  them  ever 
reaches  heaven  I  have  no  idea  that  the  question  as  to 
how  they  were  baptized  will  be  asked  them.  What 
right  has  A  to  ridicule  or  abuse  B  because  B  doesn't 
think  as  A  does  or  because  B  doesn't  believe  as 
A  believes?  God  holds  us  personally  responsible  for 
the  improvement  of  the  talents  he  has  given  us.  I  am 
not  responsible  for  what  A,  B,  or  C  believes  or  does. 
The  reader  may  ask  me,  why  then  are  you  so  hard  on 
the  leaders  of  the  religious  sects  of  other  countries  ? 
Because  they  are  promulgating,  teaching  and  practic- 
ing, knowingly  and  willingly,  a  perfect  system  of  fraud 
and  deception.  Their  intelligence  forbids  my  saying 
that  these  stupendous  frauds  are  practiced  and  imposed 
upon  the  people  ignorantly  ;  to  say  so  would  be  an 
insult  to  their  intelligence.  They  are  not  fools,  but 
knaves. 

But  to  go  back  to  the  thread  of  our  narrative,  I  will 
say  that  the  Jordan  has  what  we  call  a  first  and  second 
bottom.  The  first  bench  of  lowland  on  the  banks  of 
the  Jordan  varies  from  fifty  yards  to  several  hundred 
in  width,  and  for  the  most  part  is  covered  with  trees, 
undergrowth  and  switch-cane.  The  great  valley  of  the 
Jordan  rises  some  eight  or  ten  feet  above  this  narrow 
strip  that  runs  along  its  shores. 

The  Jordan  is  from  thirty  to  thirty-five  yards  wide. 
The  fords  are  across  its  rocky  shallows  or  rapids. 
Between  these  shoals  the  water  is  deep  and  the  current 
less  rapid.  At  the  ford  where  the  children  of  Israel 
entered  the  land  of  Canaan,  where  John  was  baptizing 
and  where  the  Savior  was  baptized  of  John  in  the 
Jordan,  there  is  a  small  island  in  the  middle  of  the 


404  TBAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

stream  which  divides  the  water,  sending  it  over  the 
gravelly  shoals  on  each  side. 

When  we  were  at  the  ford,  the  river  was  at  the  top 
of  its  banks  from  recent  rains  somewhere  above.  I 
procured  a  nice  stone  from  the  bed  of  the  river  where 
Joshua  procured  the  twelve  from  which  he  erected  an 
altar  to  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  and  where  our  Lord 
suffered  John  to  baptize  him  that  he  might  "  fulfill  all 
righteousness." 

The  ford  of  the  Jordan  is  associated  with  many 
interesting  as  well  as  miraculous  events,  recorded  in 
the  Old  and  New  Testament  scriptures.  When  Moses 
was  leading  the  children  of  Israel  from  Egypt  to  Canaan 
his  route  lay  through  the  land  of  the  Moabites  (one 
branch  of  the  family  of  Lot).  They  refused  him  the 
privilege  of  passing  through  their  territory.  Conse- 
quently he  had  to  bear  further  east  and  go  around  them 
through  the  territory  of  the  Amorites.  In  his  detour 
he  took  all  the  cities  of  the  plane  out  of  the  hands  of 
the  two  kings  of  the  Amorites ;  the  land  on  the  east 
side  of  Jordan  from  the  river  Arnon  to  Mt.  Hermon. 
This  territory  Moses  divided  up  and  gave  to  certain 
tribes,  but  required  the  fighting  men  to  go  over  Jordan 
with  the  remaining  tribes  and  fight  with  them  until 
they  had  gotten  possession  of  all  that  portion  of  the 
promised  land  lying  west  of  the  Jordan. 

The  tents  of  Israel  were  pitched  at  the  foot  of  Mt. 
Nebo.  Moses,  their  great  leader,  had  told  them  that 
the  Lord  was  angry  with  him  for  their  sakes,  and 
although  he  had  begged  the  Lord  to  permit  him  to  go 
before  them  into  the  land  of  Canaan,  that  he  would 
not.  He  told  them  that  he  would  be  taken  from  them 
and  that  they  would  have  another  leader.  He  talked 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  405 

to  them  as  a  father.  He  warned  them  against  the  sin 
of  idolatry  and  told  them  when  they  had  conquered 
the  nations  in  Canaan  not  to  permit  their  children  to 
intermarry  with  the  people,  as  it  might  have  a  ten- 
dency to  lead  them  to  the  worship  of  other  gods.  He 
also  told  them  when  God  spoke  to  them  out  of  the  fire 
of  Horeb,  "  that  they  heard  his  voice  but  saw  no  simili- 
tude or  likeness  of  him  lest  they  corrupt  themselves 
and  make  a  graven  image,  the  similitude  of  any  figure, 
the  likeness  of  male  or  female,  or  beast  on  the  earth,  or 
fowl  of  the  air,  or  fish,  or  the  sun,  moon,  or  stars,  and 
worship  them."  *He  reiterated  to  them  again  the  ten 
commandments,  and  admonished  them  to  treasure 
them  in  their  hearts,  and  obey  them,  and  the  Lord 
would  love  them,  bless  them,  and  multiply  them,  and 
bless  the  fruit  of  the  land,  their  corn  and  wine,  their 
oil  and  their  kine,  and  their  flocks,  in  the  land  which 
he  sware  unto  their  fathers  to  give  them. 

After  the  death  of  Moses  the  Lord  spoke  unto 
Joshua  and  told  him  to  "  arise  and  go  over  Jordan 
thou  and  all  this  people  unto  the  land  which  I  do  give 
unto  them."  Joshua  moved  the  people  of  Israel  down 
to  the  ford  of  the  Jordan,  and  remained  there  three 
days.  Now,  reader,  this  is  said  to  be  the  ford 
at  which  the  children  of  Israel  crossed  this  little 
river  which,  as  you  see,  is  about  thirty  five  yards 
wide  here,  but  was  at  least  fifty  yards  wider  then,  for 
we  are  told  it  overflowed  its  banks,  and  you  see  if  it 
was  over  this  first  bank  it  would  spread  out  to  that 
second  bank  yonder  where  we  rise  up  on  a  level  with 
the  valley. 

Here  is  a  river  thirty-five  yards  wide  now,  for  it  is  up 
and  near  bank  full,  from  ten  to  twelve  feet  deep,  and  at 


406  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

low  water-mark  from  three  to  four  feet  deep,  which  has 
its  source  in  some  of  the  largest  springs  I  ever  saw  gush- 
ing out  from  beneath  the  Anti-Lebanon  mountains, 
besides  being  fed  by  the  springs  which  keep  hundreds 
of  acres  of  land  above  Lake  Merom  submerged  in  water 
winter  and  summer.  You  will  find  North  Palestine 
well  watered;  in  fact  it  possesses  a  sufficiency  of  water- 
power  to  run  all  the  spinning  factories  in  New  Eng- 
land. 

Before  Joshua  moved  the  hosts  of  Israel  from  Shittim 
to  the  ford  of  Jordan  Ia6  sent  two  spies  over  to  Jericho 
to  spy  out  the  land.  What  befell  the  spies  I  shall  have 
occasion  to  speak  of  hereafter.  When  they  returned 
and  made  their  report,  Joshua  determined  to  make  a 
forward  movement  and  cross  over  Jordan  at  once. 
Officers  went  through  the  hosts  and  told  the  people 
when  they  saw  the  Levites  going  forward  with  the  Ark 
of  the  Covenant  of  the  Lord,  that  they  must  fall  in  and 
move  on  after  it,  but  they  must  not  approach  too  near 
it ;  that  a  space  of  "  about  two  thousand  cubits  by 
measure  "  must  be  between  them  and  the  Ark.  Joshua 
commanded  the  people  to  sanctify  themselves,  and  told 
them  that  "  on  to-morrow  the  Lord  would  do  wonders 
among  them." 

The  Lord  told  Joshua  to  command  the  priests  that 
bear  the  Ark  when  they  were  come  to  the  brink  of  the 
water  of  Jordan  that  they  must  stand  still  in  Jordan, 
"  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  as  soon  as  the  soles  of  the 
feet  of  the  priests  that  bear  the  Ark  shall  rest  in  the 
waters  of  the  Jordan,  that  the  waters  of  the  Jordan 
shall  be  cut  off  from  the  waters  that  come  down  from 
above,  and  they  shall  stand  upon  an  heap."  We  are 
further  told  that  as  soon  as  the  priests  came  to  the 


AND   THE   HOLT    LAND.  407 

Jordan  and  the  soles  of  their  feet  were  dipped  in  the 
brim  of  the  water,  for  "Jordan  overfloweth  all  his 
banks  all  the  time  of  harvest,"  "  that  the  waters  which 
come  down  from  above  stood  and  rose  up  upon  an  heap 
very  far  from  the  city  Adam  that  is  beside  Zaretan, 
and  those  that  come  down  towards  the  Sea  of  the'Plain, 
even  the  salt  sea  failed  and  were  cut  off,  and  the  people 
passed  over  right  against  Jericho." 

This  was  the  first  time  the  waters  of  this  river  or 
creek,  or  branch  or  rivulet,  whatever  you  may  denomi- 
nationally call  it,  was  miraculously  divided.  And  this 
was  the  first  miracle  ever  performed  at  this  particular 
locality.  If  its  waters  could  be  made  to  stand  in  a 
heap,  however,  "  by  a  man's  foot,"  it  wasn't  much  of  a 
"  wonder,"  as  Joshua  called  it,  after  all.  The  water  of 
Jordan  has  been  three  times  miraculously  divided  and 
caused  to  stand  up  in  a  heap  at  this  ford. 

We  read  that  Elijah  took  his  mantle  and  wrapped  it 
together  and  smote  the  waters  of  Jordan  at  this  ford, 
and  they  divided  hither  and  thither,  so  that  the  prophet 
Elijah  and  Elisha,  who  was  with  him,  went  over  on  dry 
land.  After  crossing  the  river  they  were  walking  along 
talking,  and  behold  there  appeared  a  chariot  of  fire 
and  horses  of  fire,  and  parted  these  men  asunder,  and 
one  of  them  went  up  by  a  whirlwind  into  Heaven. 
Elisha,  his  companion,  saw  it,  and  cried  "  My  father  ! 
My  father!  The  chariot  of  Israel  and  the  horsemen 
thereof,  and  he  saw  him  no  more." 

Elisha,  in  his  distress,  rent  his  clothes,  as  was  the 
custom  in  those  days.  Any  one  in  trouble,  grief  or 
distress  rent  his  clothes.  He  then  took  up  the  mantle 
of  Elijah  that  had  fallen  from  him  as  he  was  taken  up 
into  Heaven,  and  went  back  and  stood  by  the  bank  oi 


408  TKAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

the  Jordan.  And  he  took  the  mantle  that  had  fallen 
from  Elisha  and  smote  the  waters  and  said,  "  Where  is 
the  Lord  God  of  Elijah  ? "  And  when  he  had  smitten 
the  waters  they  parted  hither  and  thither,  and  Elisha 
went  over.  If  Jordan  was  but  a  branch  that  could 
be  stopped  in  its  downward  course  to  the  Dead  Sea 
with  a  slight  obstruction,  why,  I  ask  in  the  name  of 
truth,  honesty  and  candor,  do  the  scriptures  set  forth 
these  three  separate  and  distinct  miraculous  events  of 
dividing  the  waters  of  the  river  as  an  evidence,  not  of 
God's  presence  only,  but  of  his  power  ? 

We  find,  therefore,  from  these  historic  accounts  that 
as  far  back  as  the  days  of  Joshua,  i.  e.,  about  fourteen 
hundred  years  before  the  Christian  era,  this  river 
contained  enough  water  to  float  a  small-sized  steam- 
boat. Then,  again,  that  David  a  thousand  years  before 
the  Christian  era  had  to  have  his  family  carried  over 
this  "little  insignificant  stream  "  in  a  ferry-boat,  and 
as  there  is  no  account  of  the  boat's  being  made  for  this 
special  occasion,  it  is  presumable  that  a  regular  ferry 
was  kept  at  this  ford  to  be  used  in  times  of  high  water. 
Then  again,  we  read  that  two  prophets  of  the  Lord 
had  occasion  to  cross  this  "little  water  course  "  eight 
hundred  and  ninety  years  B.  C.,  and  one  of  them  took 
his  mantle  "  and  wrapped  it  together  and  smote  the 
waters,  and  they  were  divided  hither  and  thither,  so  that 
they  two  went  over  on  dry  ground/' 

It  was  at  this  ford  it  is  believed  that  John  the  Bap- 
tist was  baptizing  when  the  people  went  to  him  from 
Jerusalem  and  all  Judea,  and  all  the  region  around 
about  Jordan,"  and  were  baptized  of  him  in  Jordan, 
confessing  their  sins."  And  it  was  to  this  place  Jesus 
came  from  Galilee  to  Jordan  unto  John  to  be  baptized 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  409 

of  him.  But  John,  knowing  who  he  was,  forbade  him, 
saying,  "  I  have  need  to  be  baptized  of  thee,  and  comest 
thou  to  me  ? "  But  Jesus  said,  "  Suffer  it  to  be  so  now, 
for  thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfill  all  righteousness ;  then 
he  suffered  him." 

Immediately  following  the  performance  for  establish- 
ment of  this  ordinance,  there  occurred  at  this  water 
ford  what  we  have  no  knowledge  of  ever  having  occurred 
at  any  other  place  on  earth.  There  occurred  that  which 
established  this  ordinance  of  baptism  as  a  heavenly  or 
divine  ordinance,  while  at  the  same  time  it  established 
beyond  the  cavil  of  men  the  trinity  of  the  Godhead  ; 
for,  we  read,  "And  Jesus,  when  he  was  baptized,  went 
straightway  out  of  the  water,  and  lo,  the  heavens  were 
opened  unto  him  and  he  saw  the  Spirit  of  God  descend- 
ing like  a  dove,  and  lighting  upon  him,  and  lo,  a  voice 
saying,  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased." 

From  this  we  learn  that  here  in  this  now  desolate, 
retired,  solitary  place  there  were  assembled  thousands 
of  unbelieving  people  who  witnessed  by  sight  and  hear- 
ing a  manifestation  of  the  three  divine  personages  of 
the  one  true  and  living  God  at  one  and  the  same  time. 
This  wonderful  manifestation  or  revelation  ought  to  be 
enough  of  itself  to  render  this  a  place  of  intense  inter- 
est to  every  Christian  man  or  woman. 

If  there  is  any  one  place  on  this  earth  which  he  has 
given  to  his  children,  that  can  now  be  definitely  identi- 
fied, that  should  be  regarded  as  more  sacred  than 
another  on  account  of  God's  presence  and  manifestation 
of  himself  to  men  in  times  past,  it  occurs  to  me  that  this 
ford  of  the  Jordan  is  the  place.  For  here  the  Christ  was 
baptized,  here  the  Spirit  descended  from  the  open  win- 


410  TEAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

dows  of  heaven  like  a  dove.  And  lo,  a  voice  said, "  This 
is  my  beloved  son  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased." 

Now,  reader,  it  is  very  strange  to  me  that  men  who 
either  through  ignorance  or  willful  misrepresentation, 
in  order  to  bolster  up  a  pet  theory  or  religious  belief, 
will  persist  in  openly  asserting  that  this  little  river 
Jordan  is  wholly  unfit  for  the  purposes  for  which  the 
bible  tells  us  it  was  used  ;  "  that  there  isn't  water 
enough  there  in  which  to  baptize  a  believer,"  "  that  its 
banks  are  steep  and  abrupt,"  that  "  it  is  dangerous  to  go 
down  into  the  waters  of  the  Jordan,"  and  all  such  non- 
sense. I  repeat,  it  seems  strange  to  me  that  men  who 
claim  to  be  specially  "called  of  God,"  i.  e.,  set  apart  by 
divine  command  as  was  Moses,  to  fill  a  divine  mission,  to 
teach  the  people  the  way  of  life  and  salvation,  to  teach 
them  the  truth,  for  His  word  is  truth,  how  they  can 
reconcile  it  to  their  consciences  to  stand  up  before  an 
intelligent  people,  a  bible  reading  people,  and  make 
over  and  over  again  such  assertions  and  reiterate  such 
flagrant  falsehoods. 

Truth  is  truth,  whether  in  the  bible  or  out  of  it. 
And  as  St.  Paul  says,  "But  though  we  or  an  angel 
from  heaven  preach  any  other  gospel  unto  you  than 
that  which  we  have  preached  unto  you  let  him  be 
accursed."  If  such  a  denunciation  as  this  be  uttered 
by  the  great  apostle  to  the  gentiles  against  a  man  for 
misrepresenting  the  scriptures,  can  the  preacher  expect 
to  go  free  who  not  only  misrepresents  the  scriptures, 
but  other  facts  in  connection  with  them  ? 

The  scriptures  say  John  was  baptizing  in  Jorua_, 
some  of  the  "  called  "  say  it  was  impossible ;  there  isn't 
any  water  there,  etc. 

But  it  is  growing  late  in  the  afternoon.    I   have 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  .  411 

secured  a  stone  from  the  ford  of  the  Jordan,  and  as  I 
see  some  nice  reeds  along  the  bank  of  the  river,  I  will 
get  a  few;  for  pipestems.  And  as  I  do  so  I  remember 
what  the  Savior  asked  the  people  who  came  down  here 
to  see  John.  "  What  went  you  out  for  to  see  ?  A 
reed  shaken  by  the  wind  ?  But  what  went  ya  out  to 
see  ?  A  man  clothed  in  soft  raiment  ?  But  what  went 
ye  out  to  see  ?  A  prophet  ?  Yea,  I  say  unto  you,  and 
much  more  than  a  prophet."  This  he  says  was  the 
messenger  that  was  to  come  before  him,  and  that  there 
was  not  a  greater  prophet  than  John  the  Baptist  among 
those  that  are  born  of  women. 

Near  the  site  of  old  Gilgal,  where  we  are  camping,  is 
an  Arab  settlement  of  some  fifty  or  sixty  families 
occupying  a  group  of  squalid,  low,  filthy,  mud  huts. 
These  people  are  seemingly  a  degenerated  set  of  worth- 
less vagabonds.  How  they  manage -to  live  the  Lord 
only  knows.  From  their  appearance  and  surroundings 
I  am  sure  they  would,  like  vultures,  eat  a  dead  carcass, 
were  they  to  find  one.  Such  degradation  I  never  saw 
before. 

We  pass  this  village  called  the  modern  Jericho  as  we 
go  in  a  northwest  direction  to  visit  the  site  of  old  Jer- 
icho. The  only  thing  of  interest  connected  with  it, 
aside  from  the  degradation  of  the  people  and  the  worse 
than  hog-pen  houses  in  which  they  live,  is  a  building 
on  the  southeast  side  of  the  village  resembling  more  a 
tower  than  anything  that  I  can  liken  it  to.  It  has 
been  thought  by  modern  writers  that  this  tower  was 
built  at  some  period  as  a  means  of  protecting  the  crops 
from  the  thievish  incursions  of  the  Bedouins  beyond  the 
Jordan.  Since  the  15th  century  this  tower  or  building 
has  been  said  to  occupy  the  site  of  the  house  of  Zac- 


412  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

chaeus.  We  are  told  that  he  was  rich,  and  I  can  read- 
ily understand  how  a  man  could  soon  grow  rich  on  the 
products  of  this  valley,  with  its  natural  facilities  for 
irrigation,  provided  he  had  a. market  for  his  produce. 
Zacchaeus  was  not  only  rich,  but  was  chief  among  the 
publicans,  i.  e.,  he  collected  tribute,  or  what  we  call  a 
tax  collector ;  that  may  account  for  his  being  a  rich 
man.  We  learn  from  his  own  story,  which  cannot 
always  be  relied  upon,  however,  that  he  was  a  just, 
liberal  and  honest  man.  He  gives  the  Savior  a  good 
account  of  himself,  at  least.  Hear  him:  "  Behold,  Lord, 
the  half  of  my  goods  I  give  to  the  poor ;  and  if  I  have 
taken  anything  from  any  man  by  false  accusation,  I 
restore  him  fourfold."  Zaccha3us  was  a  very  small  man 
it  seems,  and  couldn't  see  the  Savior  for  the  multitude 
around  him.  So  he  took  the  boy's  plan  of  seeing  what 
was  going  on.  .He  climbed  a  sycamore  tree  so  that 
he  could  see  over  the  heads  of  the  people.  As  Jesus 
passed  by  he  saw  this  man  up  in  the  tree;  and,  it  seems, 
knew  him,  and  called  to  him  and  told  him  to  make 
haste  and  come  down,  "  for  to-day"  says  he,  "  I  must 
abide  at  thy  house." 

Now  there  is  a  sycamore  tree  growing  near  the 
tower.  Of  course,  this  tree  doesn't  seem  to  be  so  old, 
but  the  old  stumpy  roots  may  have  remained  there, 
and  we  know  not  how  many  of  their  offspring  may 
have  grown  up,  flourished,  died,  decayed  and  passed 
away.  One  thing  \ve  know,  it  is  the  only  sycamore 
tree  in  any  direction  near  this  locality  or  near  the 
road  running  through  the  valley  to  the  ford  of  the 
Jordan. 

So  if  the  tower  occupies  tne  site  of  this  little,  rich 
tax  collector's  house,  the  sycamore  tree,  which  he 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  413 

climbed  up  to  get  a  look  at  the  Savior,  may  have  stood 
just  where  we  see  this  one  now  standing. 

As  before  stated,  the  site  of  old  Jericho  lies  some 
two  miles  or  perhaps  not  quite  so  far  west  of  Gilgal, 
and  west  of  the  new  or  modern  Jericho.  At  the  time 
it  was  captured  by  Joshua  it  was  of  considerable  size, 
and  enclosed  by  a  strong  wall.  At  that  time  it  was 
also  called  the  "City  of  Palms."  We  learn  that 
palm  trees  continued  to  grow  in  this  part  of  the 
Jordan  valley  down  to  the  7th  century  A.  D. 
None  are  to  be  seen  thereabouts  now,  however.  We 
also  learn  that  at  that  time  parts  of  this  valley  were 
in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  that  the  inhab- 
itants were  rich  in  gold  and  silver. 

We  have  no  account  of  any  city  in  either  ancient  or 
modern  times  ever  being  taken  as  this  one  was.  While 
Joshua  and  the  host  of  Israel  lay  in  camp  near  the 
foot  of  Nebo,  the  highest  summit  or  peak  of  which  is 
called  Pisgah,  Joshua  sent  two  spies  over  into  the 
valley,  who  went  into  the  city  of  Jericho.  "And  they 
went  and  came  into  an  harlet's  house  named  Rahab,  and 
lodged  there."  I  guess  that  was  the  reason  it  was 
found  out  so  soon  that  they  were  in  the  city  and  their 
presence  and  business  reported  to  the  king.  It  appears 
they  fell  into  bad  company  at  Rahab's  house,  for  it  is 
evident  from  her  conduct  towards  these  men  that  she 
didn't  report  their  presence  in  the  city  to  the  king  her- 
self, but  some  of  the  loafers  about  her  premises  did.  At 
all  events,  the  king  sent  to  Rahab  and  ordered  her  to 
bring  forth  the  two  men,  for  they  were  spies.  Instead 
of  bringing  them  forth  and  delivering  them  to  the 
king's  messengers,  however,  she  took  them  up  on  the 


414  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

flat  roof  of  her  house  and  hid  them  with  the  stalks  of 
flax  "  which  she  had -laid  in  order  on  her  roof." 

She  then  put  on  a  good  straight  face,  and,  doubtless 
with  an  air  of  innocence  and  truth,  told  the  messengers 
that  two  men  did  come  to  her  house,  but  that  she  knew 
not  where  they  were,  that  they  went  out  about  the 
time  of  the  shutting  of  the  city  gate,  and  if  they  would 
pursue  them  they  might  overtake  them. 

The  king's  messengers  or  policemen,  I  suppose,  went 
in  pursuit  of  them  down  the  road  to  Jordan  as  far  as 
the  fords.  As  soon  as  these  pursuers  left  the  city  the 
gate  was  shut.  After  they  were  gone  Kahab  went  up 
to  the  roof  where  the  spies  were  and  said  to  them:  "  I 
know  the  Lord  has  given  you  this  land  and  that  all  the 
inhabitants  of  this  land  are  in  a  perfect  state  of  terror 
for  fear  of  you.  We  have  heard  that  the  Lord  dried 
up  the  water  of  the  Red  Sea  for  you  to  cross  when  you 
came  out  of  Egypt.  And  we  have  heard  what  you  did 
to  Sihon  and  Og,  the  two  Amorite  kings  whom  ye 
utterly  destroyed.  As  soon  as  we  heard  these  things 
our  hearts  did  melt  and  our  men  lost  their  courage 
because  of  you.  "  For  says  this  woman,  "  The  Lord 
your  God  he  is  God  in  heaven  above  and  in  earth 
beneath.  "  Now  says  she :  *'  I  pray  you  swear  unto  me 
by  the  Lord  since  I  have  shewed  you  kindness  that  ye 
will  also  shew  kindness  unto  my  father's  house  and 
give  me  a  true  token.  And  that  ye  will  .save  alive 
my  father  and  my  mother  and  my  brothers  and  my  sis- 
ters and  all  that  they  have,  and  deliver  our  lives  from 
death." 

Joshua's  spies  answered  her  and  pledged  their  own 
lives  that,  if  she  would  not  tell  their  business,  when 
the  Lord  had  given  them  the  land  they  would  deal 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  415 

kindly  and  truly  with  her.  Rahab's  house  being 
built  upon  the  wall  (we  saw  many  houses  built  upon 
the  wall  in  Damascus),  she  let  them  down  from  a  win- 
dow and  told  them  to  hide  themselves  in  the  mountains 
for  three  days  until  the  king's  policemen  or  pursuers 
returned,  and  then  they  might  go  their  way.  Before 
leaving,  however,  they  told  her  when  she  heard  of  their 
being  in  the  land  to  tie  "  this  line  of  scarlet  thread,  " 
a  line  I  presume  which  they  gave  her.  in  the  window 
from  which  she  had  let  them  down.  They  told  her 
furthermore  to  bring  all  her  father's  family  into  her 
house  and  keep  them  there,  that  they  would  not  be 
responsible  for  the  life  of  any  that  left  the  house  and 
were  found  in  the  street. 

They  also  told  her  if  she  divulged  their  business  in 
the  city  after  they  left  it,  that  they  would  not  regard 
their  oath  to  preserve  the  lives  of  her  father's  family 
and  her  own  as  at  all  binding.  All  this  was  agreed  to 
by  both  parties  and  faithfully  carried  out. 

The  walls  of  this  city  were  thrown  down,  and  the 
city  delivered  into  the  hands  of  the  Israelites  by  the 
Lord  of  hosts,  with  no  effort  on  the  part  of  the  Israel- 
ites other  than  that  of  strict  obedience  to  the  orders 
which  he  had  given  to  Joshua  their  leader.  Every  one 
is  famfliar  with  the  bible  narrative  of  this  circumambu- 
lation. 

The  city  was  compassed  once  a  day  for  seven  days, 
and  on  the  seventh  day  it  was  compassed  seven  times, 
and  when  the  priests  blew  the  trumpets  Joshua  said  to 
the  people :  "  Shout,  for  the  Lord  hath  given  you  the 
city."  At  the  sound  of  the  trumpets  and  the  shout  of 
the  people  the  wall  fell  down  flat,  so  that  every  man 


416  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

went  up  straight  into  that  part  of  the  city  which  was 
before  him. 

The  city  was  utterly  destroyed.  The  men,  women 
and  children  were  put  to  the  sword.  Rahab  and  all 
that  were  in  her  house,  however,  were  saved.  And  the 
traveler  to  that  old  country  and  to  the  site  of  Jericho 
can  see  for  himself  an  old  stone  building,  around  which 
the  shifting  sands  of  centuries  have  gathered  until  noth- 
ing is  seen  above  ground  but  the  stone  roof,  which 
tradition  tells  him  is  what  remains  of  the  house  of 
Rahab.  We  thought  when  we  were  there  that  we 
could  see  here  and  there  traces  of  where  the  old  wall  of 
Jericho  had  stood. 

He  would  be  a  bold  man  that  would  attempt  to 
rebuild  this  old  city,  even  if  the  material  for  so  doing 
lay  upon  the  ground,  for  Joshua  said  :  "  Cursed  be  the 
man  before  the  Lord  that  riseth  up  and  buildeth  this 
city  Jericho.  He  shall  lay  the  foundation  thereof  in  his 
first  born,  and  in  his  youngest  son  shall  he  set  up  the 
gates  of  it." 

Notwithstanding  this  prophecy,  nowever,  we  are 
told  that  during  the  days  of  Ahab,  something  over 
five  hundred  years  after  the  prophecy  was  made,  "  a 
certain  fellow  named  Hiel,  the  Bethelite,  rebuilt  the 
city  and  laid  the  foundation  of  it  in  the  dea"th  of 
Abiram,  his  first  born,  and  set  up  the  gates  thereof  in 
the  death  of  his  youngest  son,  Segub,  according  to  the 
word  of  the  Lord  as  spoken  by  Joshua." 

The  Spring  of  the  Prophets,  a  large  bold  spring, 
breaks  out  from  beneath  a  hill  on  the  western  side  of  the 
old  site  and  runs  into  an  old  basin  of  huge  stone  thir- 
teen yards  long  and  eight  wide.  This  constituted,  no 
doubt,  "  the  Prophet's  Pool." 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  417 

It  will  be  remembered  when  Elisha  came  back  to 
Jericho  (after  Elijah  was  taken  up  to  heaven  in  a  whirl- 
wind) there  was  a  school  of  prophets  comprising  fifty 
or  more.  It  seems  he  tarried  here  at  Jericho  for  a 
time,  and  the  men  of  the  city  said  to  him  :  "Behold,  I 
pray  thee,  the  situation  of  this  city  is  pleasant,  as  my 
Lord  seeth,  but  the  water  is  bad  and  the  ground 
droughty."  Elisha  told  them  to  bring  him  a  new 
cruise  and  put  salt  therein.  They  did  so,  and  he  went 
to  the  spring  and  cast  the  salt  in  and  said : "  Thus  sayeth 
the  Lord,  I  have  healed  these  waters,  there  shall  not 
be  from  thence  any  more  death  or  droughty  land."  So 
the  waters  were  healed  unto  this  day,  and  are  good  to 
this  day.  Rahab's  house  is  just  below  this  pool. 

Above  the  Spring  of  the  Prophets,  or,  as  it  is  fre- 
quently called,  Elisha's  spring,  is  a  high  dome-shaped 
mound  which  is  called  by  the  Arabs  Tell  Aub  Alaik, 
"  hill  of  the  blood-suckers. "  I  did  not  learn  why  it 
was  so  called,  but  suppose  it  was  occupied  at  one  time 
by  a  cruel,  bloodthirsty  band  of  marauding,  murderous 
Arabs. 

The  site  of  old  Jericho,  like  other  places  on  the  Jordan, 
is  grown  up  to  a  considerable  extent  in  thick  under- 
brush, or,  what  conveys  the  idea  better,  thickets. 

The  highest  peak  of  the  Judean  hills  which  border 
the  western  part  of  the  valley  of  the  Jordan  at  this 
place  is  pointed  out  as  the  Mount  of  Temptation.  "We 
read: "  Again  the  devil  taketh  him  up  into  an  exceeding 
high  mountain  and  sheweth  him  all  the  kingdoms  of 
the  world  and  the  glory  of  them  and  sayeth  unto  him, 
All  these  things  will  I  give  thee  if  thou  wilt  fall 
down  and  worship  me. 

Did  you  ever !     Did  anybody  ever  hear  or  read  of 


418  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

just  such  a  piece  of  unblushing  effrontery  and  arrogant 
presumption  before  or  since'? 

This  outcast,  this  poor,  penniless  pauper,  this  deceit- 
ful, hypocritical  father  of  liars,  who  now  and  always 
has  paid  his  servants  and  devotees  in  wretchedness, 
misery,  sin  and  death,  standing  up  on  that  mountain 
with  the  God  who  made  it,  the  world  and  all  the  worlds 
that  are  made,  and,  feeling  as  rich  as  a  drunkard,  offering 
to  give  the  Savior  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  and 
the  glory  of  them  if  he  would  fall  down  and  worship 
him.  Poor  devil.  I  never  heard  of  his  having  but 
one  kingdom,  and  if  the  truth  is  told  about  that  it  is 
such  an  everlasting  hot  country  that  nobody  would 
have  it  but  the  devil  himself. 

All  the  lower  portion  of  the  Jordan  valley  was 
evidently  included  in  the  section  of  country  called  the 
wilderness  of  Judea.  We  learn  that  Antony  presented 
this  part  of  the  valley  to  Cleopatra,  whot  sold  it  to  Herod, 
and  that  monarch  beautified  it  with  palaces  and  consti- 
tuted it  his  winter  residence,  as  he  regarded  it  as  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  spots  in  all  his  dominions. 

Herod  died  the  same  year  that  Jesus  was  born,  but 
this,  as  is  now  well  known,  occurred  four  years  before 
the  date  fixed  as  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era. 

Herod  was  buried  at  Herodium,  a  castle  founded  by 
this  monarch  on  the  top  of  a  hill  artificially  thrown  up 
a  few  miles  from  the  pools  of  Solomon. 

This  acropolis  was  about  ten  miles  from  Jerusalem. 
After  a  protracted  illness  this  wicked,  jealous  old  mur- 
derer, with  a  mind  full  of  dark  intrigues  and  suspicions, 
sank  into  his  grave  unhonored  and  unwept. 

Our  ride  back  to  Jerusalem  was  far  less  fatiguing 
than  our  ride  down  to  Jericho.  I  soon  learned  that 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  419 

Arab  horses  could  climb  these  steep,  rough,  rocky  hills 
equal  to  a  mountain  goat.  When  within  about  two 
miles  of  Jerusalem  we  come  to  Bethany,  the  home  of 
Mary  and  Martha.  Our  road  leads  us  into  one  of  the 
miserable  alleys  of  the  old  town,  where  we  are  shown 
the  tomb  of  Lazarus.  To  enter  the  cave  or  grotto  one 
descends  a  flight  of  stone  steps,  at  the  bottom  of  which 
we  pass  through  a  low  doorway  into  a  small  room  hewn 
in  the  rock  which  underlies  the  soil  in  all  this  country. 
In  this  tomb  it  is  said  the  body  of  Lazarus  was  laid  after 
death  and  from  which  Lazarus  came  forth  at  the  com- 
mand of  his  Lord. 

When  Lazarus  was  taken  ill  Jesus  was  beyond  the 
Jordan,  and  his  sisters  Mary  and  Martha  sent  unto  him 
saying:  "Lord,  behold  he  whom  thou  lovest  is  sick." 
After  hearing  this  Jesus  remained  where  he  was  two 
days  before  coming  to  them.  Lazarus  had  been  dead 
four  days  when  Jesus  reached  Bethany. 

Martha  told  the  Savior  that  her  brother  had  been 
dead  long  enough  for  partial  decomposition  of  the  body 
to  have  taken  place.  Jesus  told  her  that  if  she  would 
believe  she  should  see  the  glory  of  God.  After  the 
bystanders  had  taken  away  the  stone  from  the  door  of 
the  sepulchre  "  Jesus  lifted  up  His  eyes  and  said,  Father, 
I  thank  Thee  that  Thou  hast  heard  me,  and  I  know 
that  Thou  hearest  me  always,  but  because  of  the  people 
-which  stand  by  I  said  it  that  they  may  believe  that 
Thou  hast  sent  me.  And  when  He  thus  had  spoken  He 
cried  with  a  loud  voice,  Lazarus,  come  forth.  And 
he  that  was  dead  came  forth  bound  hand  and  foot  with 
grave  clothes,  and  his  face  was  bound  about  with  a  • 
napkin.  Jesus  sayeth  unto  them,  Loose  -him  and  let 
him  go." 


420  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

About  forty  or  fifty  yards  from  the  tomb  of  Lazarus 
we  were  shown  what  is  said  to  be  the  site  of  the  house 
of  this  family.  There  is  nothing  now  about  this  old 
town  worthy  of  a  visit  except  the  site  and  the  tomb  of 
Lazarus,  if  indeed  it  be  his  tomb.  That  Bethany  was 
located  here  there  is  no  doubt.  But  at  this  time  it  con- 
sists of  about  forty  hovels  occupied  by  Moslems  only. 
The  water  here  is  said  to  be  good  and  there  are  around 
the  town  or  village  numerous  fig,  almond  and  carob 
trees. 

On  our  return  from  the  ford  of  the  Jordan  we  par- 
took of  a  lunch  in  a  beautiful  olive  grove  just  before 
entering  the  village. 

After  passing  the  village  we  begin  the  ascent  of  the 
highest  ridge  of  the  Mount  of  Olives.  Just  before 
reaching  the  top  of  the  ridge,  by  looking  back  the  Dead 
Sea  can  be  distinctly  seen,  and  although  it  is  some  four- 
teen or  sixteen  miles  off  in  a  straight  line  it  doesn't 
appear  to  be  more  than  two  or  three. 

From  the  top  of  Mt.  Olivet  we  get  a  fine  view  of  the 
city  of  Jerusalem,  and  here  we  find  an  enclosed  court,  in 
the  center  of  which  is  a  small  chapel.  In  the  center 
of  the  chapel,  which  is  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  rises  a 
cylindrical  stone  drum,  with  a  small  dome  over  the 
spot  from  which  Christ  is  said  to  have  ascended.  This 
enclosure  and  chapel  belong  to  the  Moslems,  who  regard 
it  as  very  sacred. 

This  place,  however,  doesn't  agree  with  the  statement 
made  by  Luke,  where  he  says  :  "  And  he  led  them  out 
as  far  as  to  Bethany,  and  he  lifted  up  his  hands  and 
blessed  them.  And  it  came  to  pass,  Awhile  he  blessed 
them  he  was  parted  from  them  and  carried  up  into 
heaven." 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  421 

Our  Mohammedan  friends  don't  read  our  bible,  how- 
ever, and  I  don't  suppose  the  Koran  mentions  the  place 
from  which  the  Savior  ascended,  consequently  they  have 
heard  through  some  tradition,  or  Catholic  fabrication, 
that  this  was  the  exact  locality,  and,  in  proof  of  it,  show 
you  a  foot-print  claimed  to  have  been  made  by  the 
Savior  at  the  time  of  the  ascension.  It  seems  to  be  no 
trouble  for  those  people  in  Jerusalem  to  manufacture 
places  and  proofs,  such  as  it  is,  that  the  places  are 
genuine.  If  the  devil  be  the  father  of  liars,  I  am  very 
sure  the  people  now  living  in  Palestine  are  a  part  of 
his  legitimate  descendants.  The  Savior  gives  him  a 
bad  name,  and  says  he  has  always  had  a  bad  reputation 
and  that  there  was  no  truth  in  him. 

The  inhabitants  of  Palestine,  and  especially  of  the 
old  city  of  Jerusalem,  wouldn't  know  the  truth  if,  by 
accident,  they  were  to  find  it  in  the  city,  and  they 
regard  stealing  as  a  little  praise-worthy,  slight-of-hand 
game,  which  all  learn  to  play  skillfully. 

We  now  descend  the  rather  steep  side  of  the  Mount 
of  Olives  into  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat.  And,  reader, 
if  you  will  look  along  the  eastern  wall  of  the  city,  you 
will  see  projecting  from  the  wall  the  end  of  a  broken 
column.  This  column  was  worked  into  the  wall  when 
it  was  rebuilt,  not  in  my  opinion  for  any  special  object, 
but  merely  because  it  lay  convenient  or  perhaps  was 
in  the  way  of  the  men  engaged  in  the  work.  The 
Mohammedans  believe  one  end  of  the  bridge  of  judg- 
ment, which  will  not  be  broader  than  a  thread,  or  the 
edge  of  a  sword,  will  be  attached  to  the  end  of  that 
column  which  projects,  as  you  see,  some  two  or  three 
feet  beyond  the  wall.  They  think  this  valley  of 
Jehoshaphat  will  be  widened  out  to  accommodate  the 


422  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

multitude  of  unbelievers  in  the  Moslem  faith,  and  that 
it  will  contain  all  manner  of  horrors  and  inquisitions  to 
afflict  the  unbeliever. 

This  bridge  is  called  Al  Serat.  The  Mohammedans 
teach  and  believe,  like  the  ancient  Egyptians,  that  the 
souls  of  men  will  be  weighed  at  the  judgment,  and 
after  all  have  been  weighed  they  will  have  to  pass  the 
ordeal  of  the  bridge.  The  whole  assembled  universe 
of  mankind  will  follow  Mohammed  across  the  bridge. 
One  end  of  this  bridge  will  be  attached  to  one  end  of 
the  stone  column  I  have  just  called  your  attention  to, 
and  the  other  to  the  summit  of  the  Mount  of  Olives 
over  there.  Infidels,  i.  e. ,  those  who  reject  the  faith  of 
Mohammed,  and  sinful  Moslems,  will  grope  their  way 
along  this  thread-like  bridge  in  darkness  and  fall  into 
the  abyss  below.  This  valley  will  be  filled  with  all  man- 
ner of  horrors,  the  very  trees  having  writhing  serpents 
for  branches,  these  branches  bearing  for  fruit  the  heads 
of  demons,  etc. 

The  faithful  Mohammedans,  having  the  bridge  lit  up 
by  celestial  rays  of  light,  will  cross  with  the  swiftness 
of  birds  and  enter  the  realms  of  paradise. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND. 


CHAPTEK  XYII 

~TpVERYTHING  being  in  readiness,  we  will  now 
-J— ^  take  the  Damascus  road,  which  runs  north  from 
the  Damascus  gate,  and  leads  us  up  through  the  Judean 
hills  and  on  through  the  beautiful  vallies  of  Palestine 
to  the  head  waters  of  the  Jordan  and  the  Anti-Lebanon 
mountains,  and  I  want  the  reader  to  accompany  us  on 
this  interesting  tour  through  this  Bible  land. 

We  are  twenty-three  Americans,  comprising  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  both  married  and  single.  All  intelligent, 
affable,  social,  pleasant  companions ;  all,  with  one  or  two 
exceptions,  professed  Christians.  Some  of  the  party 
were  not  physically  able  to  undergo  the  fatigue  and 
exposure  of  this  long  horseback  ride,  so  they  went  by 
steamer  to  Beyrout  and  waited  for  us  there,  as  we 
expected  to  leave  Syria  for  Asia  Minor  at  that  point. 

Our  camp  outfit  comprises  forty-five  servants,  sixteen 
or  eighteen  Oriental  tents,  eighty-five  head  of  mules 
and  horses ;  each  tent  being  provided  with  a  carpet, 
wash-stand,  tin  ater-pitcher  and  wash-basin,  single 
beds,  camp-stools,  candles,  matches,  etc.,  everything,  in 
fact,  necessary  to  make  us  comfortable. 

In  addition  to  tents  used  for  sleeping  apartments, 
we  were  provided  with  a  large  dining  tent,  a  lunch 
tent,  and  a  kitchen  tent.  All  of  these,  in  addition  to 
our  necessary  traveling  baggage,  provender  for  the 
animals,  and  a  goodly  portion  of  the  provisions  used  on 
the  trip,  were  carried  on  the  backs  of  pack  mules  and 
horses.  In  some  instances  three  or  four  hundred 
pounds  of  baggage  would  be  packed  on  the  back  of  a 

425 


426  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

horse  or  mule,  and  then  a  big  Arab  man  ride  on  the  top 
of  that.  The  servants  having  in  charge  the  lunch  tent 
would  usually  leave  camp  very  early  in  the  morning 
(going  ahead  of  the  remainder  of  the  outfit),  would 
pitch  the  lunch  tent  at  some  suitable  place,  convenient 
to  water,  and  have  our  lunch  ready  for  us  by  the  time 
we  would  come  up  with  them  at  mid-day. 

While  we  were  at  lunch  and  resting,  the  camping 
outfit  would  pass  us  and  reach  the  place  selected  for 
spending  the  night,  in  time  to  pitch  the  tents  and  dis- 
tribute the  personal  baggage  in  the  various  tents;  this 
was  done  by  numbers.  All  the  tents  were  numbered, 
and  each  occupant's  baggage  had  a  card  attached  bear- 
ing the  corresponding  number  ;  in  this  way  each  per- 
son's baggage  was  put  in  his  tent.  The  cook  would 
then  prepare  a  kettle  of  hot  tea,  and  as  soon  as  we 
reached  camp  in  the  evening  we  partook  of  tea  and 
crackers.  At  six  o'clock  p.  M.  we  dined  and  retired  for 
the  night  at  any  hour  we  pleased. 

The  tents  were  guarded  at  night  to  keep  off  the  thiev- 
ing Arabs.  It  is  not  safe  to  carry  money  or  other 
valuables  on  a  camping  tour  through  Palestine. 

In  standing  a  little  distance  north  of  the  Damascus 
gate  we  can  trace  the  valley  of  .Kedron,  as  it  comes 
down  from  among  the  high  hills  of  Judea,  which  rise 
in  their  grandeur  north  of  Jerusalem.  The  valley,  in 
the  springtime,  is  covered  with  rich  verdure.  Beyond 
the  valley  on  the  north  rises  the  Scopus,  a  very  high 
hill,  from  the  top  of  which  we  not  only  get  an  exten- 
sive view  of  the  surrounding  country,  but  from  this 
point  we  take  our  farewell  view  of  Jerusalem. 

And  now,  as  our  caravan  shapes  its  course  north 
from  the  Damascus  gate,  leaving  Calvary  on  our  right, 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  427 

we  turn  our  backs  on  this,  the  most  degraded  city  we 
have  seen  in  all  our  travels.  When  we  look  at  it  and 
think  about  the  scenes  once  enacted  there,  and  when 
we  bring  up  in  review  the  grand  characters  which 
stand  out  so  prominently  and  conspicuously  in  sacred 
and  profane  history,  we  say  this  is  not  the  old  proud 
city  of  Jerusalem — it  is  but  its  decaying  carcass,  its  life 
is  extinct,  its  glory  has  forever  departed.  But  unlike 
Thebes,  Palmyra,  Babylon,  and  other  proud  old  cities 
of  the  past,  which  live  only  in  the  memories  of  men, 
Jerusalem  will  ever  remain  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of 
the  Christian  world,  and  we  will  ever  remember  it,  not 
as  it  is,  but  as  it  was. 

Here  lived  and  here  diea  our  great  teacher  and 
exampler,  he  who  taught  mankind  "  to  love  God  with 
all  their  hearts,  with  all  their  soul,  mind  and  strength, 
an4  their  neighbor  as  themselves." 

A  short  mile  from  Jerusalem  we  come  to  the  tomb  of 
the  kings,  which  was,  to  me,  a  place  of  great  interest. 
The  stone  was  removed  to  a  depth  of  ten  or  twelve 
feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  covering  a  space 
of  seventy-five  feet  or  more  square.  The  tomb  rooms 
(for  there  are  many  of  them)  open  into  each  other,  with 
but  a  single  door  opening  out  into  the  open  court. 
This  door  is  closed  by  a  rolling  stone,  as  has  been  here- 
tofore described.  The  stone  coffins  in  the  various 
departments  were  hewn  of  the  stone  left  .above  the 
floors  for  the  purpose,  as  needed  from  time  to  time. 

Thedoorways,  leading  from  one  apartment  to  another, 
are  low  and  narrow,  the  rooms  are  from  eight  to  ten 
feet  square.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  excavated 
place  from  the  tombs  is  a  large  circular  cistern,  about 
sixteen  feet  in  diameter,  sunk  some  eight  or  ten  feet 


428  RAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

deep  below  the  level  of  the  excavation.  On  the  east 
side  are  two  more  not  quite  so  large,  however,  all  of 
them  were  full  of  clear  water. 

I  suppose  these  cisterns  were  prepared  to  supply  the 
lepers  with  water.  In  the  days  gone  by,  as  now,  this 
poor  unfortunate  class  of  people  were  driven  from  the 
cities,  and  not  allowed  to  remain  within  the  walls. 
Consequently  they  repaired  to  the  tombs  to  find  shelter 
and  protection  from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather. 

About  one  mile  north  of  the  tombs  of  the  kings  we 
find  the  tombs  of  the  prophets.  This  burial-place  con- 
sists of  quite  a  labyrinth  of  corridors,  tomb  rooms,  and 
tomb  shafts.  The  latter  are  cut  into  the  face  of  the 
stone  wall,  so  that  the  corpse  could  be  put  into  it  end- 
ways. We  will  see  a  great  many  of  these  tomb  shafts 
cut  into  the  face  of  the  limestone  cliffs,  as  we  proceed 
on  our  journey  through  Palestine  and  Syria. 

After  passing  these  tombs  we  descend  and  cross  the 
valley  of  the  upper  Kedron  and  soon  begin  the  ascent 
of  the  Judean  hills.  One  would  reasonably  suppose, 
this  being  the  great  traveled  route  from  Damascus  to 
Jerusalem,  that  the  road  would  be  something  like  a 
fair  average  country  road  at  least.  Such  an  opinion 
would  be  a  great  mistake,  however.  For  we  found  it 
a  narrow,  crooked  pathway,  in  many  places  leading 
up  the  rocky  beds  of  the  water  drains  between  the 
mountains.  In  many  places  the  earth  and  gravel  have 
been  wasned  away  by  the  mountain  torrents,  leaving  a 
gully  or  ditch  filled  with  large  bare  stone,  over  which 
the  horses  with  great  difficulty  made  their  way. 

Our  company  soon  learned  that  their  little  Arabian 
horses  were  accustomed  to  these  roads,  and  if  we  gave 
them  the  bridle  and  let  them  select  their  own  way  that 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  429 

they  would  carry  us  safely  over  roads  and  up  and 
down  mountains,  where,  were  you  to  dare  to  ride  an 
American  horse,  it  would  be  at  the  risk  of  his  breaking 
not  only  his  own  neck,  but  yours  also. 

When  we  reached  the  top  of  the  hill  we  found  our- 
selves on  Mt.  Scopus.  Distances  in  Palestine  are  not 
measured  nor  are  they  estimated,  but  are  given  in  the 
time  it  takes  to  travel  them.  You  can  readily  under- 
stand why  this  is  so  when  you  travel  the  paths  which 
they  call  roads.  When  climbing  up  the  steep  side  of 
a  rough,  rocky  mountain  by  a  narrow,  serpentine  path, 
you  not  only  travel  very  slowly  and  cautiously,  but  the 
winding  path  carries  you  three  or  four  times  as  far  as 
the  actual  distance  would  be  on  a  more  direct  road. 
Consequently  the  distance  from  place  to  place,  instead 
of  being  given  'in  miles,  is  always  given  in  the  time  it 
takes  to  travel  it. 

From  the  top  of  this  'hill,  Mt.  Scopus,  we  take  our 
farewell  look  at  Jerusalem,  type  of  that  heavenly  Jeru- 
salem where  through  the  merits  and  suffering  of  our 
blessed  Savior  we  hope  to  rest  and  abide  forever  when 
we  reach  the  end  of  our  pilgrimage  in  this  world. 

When  we  look  east  from  the  top  of  this  mountain, 
we  look  down,  not  only  on  the  old  city  of  David,  but 
over  the  tops  of  the  Judean  hills,and  east  of  them  see  the 
blue  waters  of  the  Dead  Sea,  which  appears  to  be  very 
near  us  and  not  far  below  us.  In  reality,  however,  it 
is  about  fifteen  or  eighteen  miles  away,  and  thirty-nine 
hundred  feet  below  our  present  standpoint.  Here  we 
get  a  good  view  of  that  extraordinary  and  unique 
depression  of  the  earth's  surface  occupied  by  that  sea 
and  the  lower  part  of  the  Jordan  valley.  The  blue 
mountains  which  rise  up  so  grandly  beyond  this  chain, 


430  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

reaching  a  level  with  us,  are  the  mountains  among 
which  we  find  Mt.  Nebo.  and  which  once  belonged  to 
the  tribe  Reuben. 

While  looking  at  this  range  of  mountains  which 
border  the  salt  sea  on  the  east  we  discovered  two  wide 
openings.  The  one  farthest  south  is  the  valley  of 
the  river  Arnon,the  other  the  valley  of  the  Zerka  Ma-in, 
comparatively  small  mountain  streams  which  run  into 
the  Dead  Sea. 

"  The  great  El  Ghor,  or  gorge,  that  is,  the  deep  val- 
ley of  the  Jordan  through  which  comes  that  river, 
is  indicated  by  a  green  line  on  a  whitish  ground." 
Nearer  to  us  we  can  trace  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat  as 
it  passes  out  of  the  hills  and  winds  its  way  between 
Mt.  Moriah  and  the  Mount  of  Olives;  just  beyond  it  the 
mountain  of  Offence ;  a  little  further  south  the  hill  of 
Evil  Council ;  still  further  south  the  heights  of  Bethle- 
hem, etc.,  etc. 

We  ride  over  this  "rough  and  rugged  road"  for 
thirty  or  forty  minutes  and  see  some  half  mile  off  to 
the  right  of  our  path  on  the  top  of  another  of  these 
barren  hills  an  Arab  village  on  the  site  of  the  old 
Gibeah  Benjamin,  the  scene  of  that  atrocious  crime 
which  was  fraught  with  such  disastrous  consequences 
to  the  tribe  of  Benjamin.  This  occurred  at  the  village 
we  see  over  there  about  1400  B.  C.,  in  the  days  when 
there  were  no  kings  in  Israel.  It  appears  that  a  certain 
Levite,  who  at  the  time  of  the  occurrence  I  am  about 
to  relate  was  living  near  Mt.  Ephraim,  went  down  to 
Bethlehem  and  got  himself  a  concubine.  She  didn't 
remain  with  him  long,  however,  but  went  back  to  her 
father,  who  lived  at  Bethlehem,  and  remained  some 
four  months,  until,  in  fact,  her  husband  went  after  her. 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  431 

When  her  husband,  as  he  is  called,  went  down  to  see 
"  the  folks "  and  bring  his  wife  home,  he  carried  his 
servant  and  a  couple  of  donkeys. 

It  appears  from  the  narrative  that  there  had  been 
some  unpleasantness  between  them  before  she  left 
home,  and  I  suppose  she  went  off  mad.  For,  it  is  said, 
he  went  after  her,  "  to  speak  friendly  with  her."  It  is 
not  unusual  for  women  in  our  day  and  time  to  act  in 
somewhat  the  same  way.  They  fly  up  and  get  mad  with 
their  husbands  about  some  foolish  thing,  and  take 
themselves  off  to  "par's  house."  It  appears  in  this 
instance  a  reconciliation  took  place,  and  the  Levite 
remained  with  the  family  and  had  a  good  time  with 
his  father-in-law  until  the  afternoon  of  the  fifth  day. 

On  his  return,  when  he  drew  near  "  Jebus"  (which  is 
Jerusalem)  his  servant  suggested  that  they  turn  into 
the  city  and  lodge  there  for  the  night.  But  the  Levite 
said  they  would  n,ot  turn  into  the  city  of  the  stranger, 
but  would  go  on  to  Gibeah.  It  was  late  when  they 
reached  Gibeah,  and  not  being  invited  to  any  one's 
house  they  camped  in  the  street.  An  old  gentleman, 
passing  along  soon  afterward,  seeing  these  strangers 
camping  in  the  street,  stopped  and  asked  them  who 
they  were,  whence  they  came,  and  where  they 
were  going.  The  old  man,  being  satisfied  with  the 
account  they  gave  of  themselves,  took  them  to  his 
house  to  entertain  them  for  the  night.  We  learn  that 
an  occurrence  took  place  here  between  the  old  gentle- 
man, who  entertained  these  strangers,  and  certain  of 
the  Benjamites,  citizens  of  Gibeah,  very  similar  to 
what  transpired  between  Lot  and  the  wicked  men  of 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  the  night  he  entertained  the  two 
angels  who  were  sent  to  destroy  that  abominable 


432  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

people.  These  beastly,  brutal,  licentious  men  inhu- 
manly murdered  this  Levite's  wife  or.  concubine,  and 
left  her  lying  at  the  door  of  the  old  man's  house. 

Then  followed  a  strange  proceeding  or  custom  among 
those  ancient  people.  The  Levite  took  his  dead  wife 
home  and  cut  her  body  into  twelve  pieces  and  sent  them 
into  all  the  coasts  of  Israel.  This  was  a  strange  way 
of  notifying  the  tribes  that  an  atrocious  murder  of  a 
woman  had  been  committed,  and  equally  strange  that 
all  Israel  understood  from  this  that  a  Levite's  concu- 
bine had  been  foully  murdered,  and  how  she  was  mur- 
dered. The  whole  congregation  of  Israel  gathered 
together  as  one  man  from  "  Dan  to  Beer-sheba ;  "  all 
the  chiefs  of  .the  people,  even  of  all  the  tribes  of  Israel, 
four  hundred  thousand  footmen  that  drew  the  sword, 
"to  avenge  the  outrageous  conduct  of  the  Benja- 
mites." 

Another  very  strange  feature  of  this  occurrence  is 
the  refusal  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin  to  surrender  the 
guilty  parties.  They  were  called  by  the  Israelites 
"  sons  of  Belial,"  an  expression  used  at  that  time  to 
designate  the  vilest  class  of  men  to  be  found  anywhere. 
And  yet  the  tribe  of  Benjamin  justified  or  upheld  them 
in  this  brutal  outrage,  to  the  extent  of  going  to  war 
with  the  other  tribes  rather  than  surrender  these  sons 
of  Belial.  These  Benjamites  had  not  only  done  this 
desperately  wicked  thing,  but  they  had  also  become  the 
worshipers  of  other  gods  than  that  of  the  God  of 
Israel.  The  war  that  followed  proved  very  disastrous 
to  the  Benjamites,  for  they  were  routed,  their  cities 
burned,  and  all  who  did  not  succeed  in  making  their 
escape  to  the  wilderness  of  Judea  to  Rimmon,  a  city 
apportioned  to  the  tribe  of  Judah,  were  slain.  Saul 


AND  THE    HOLY   LAND.  433 

was  living  at  Gibeah  when  he  was  anointed  king  by 
Samuel,  in  obedience  to  the  command  of  the  Lord. 

Here  is  where  David  permitted  the  murder  of  the 
seven  sons  of  Saul.  A  few  miles  further  on  we  pass  a 
ruined  village  with  some  old  pools  near  by.  It  is  thought 
this  locality  answers  to  the  ancient  Ataroth-addar, 
mentioned  in  Joshua  as  being  on  the  border  of  the 
inheritance  of  Ephraim. 

Twenty-five  minutes  beyond  our  present  locality 
brings  us  to  El  Bireh.  The  word  means  cistern,  and 
owes  its  name  to  its  abundant  supply  of  water.  This 
is  the  ancient  Beeroth,  which  has  the  same  meaning, 
and  is  one  of  the  cities  of  the  Gibeanites  whose  messen- 
gers went  to  Joshua,  and  after  pulling  the  wool  over  his 
eyes  most  beautifully  made  a  league  or  treaty  of  peace 
with  him.  These  original  inhabitants,  however,  left  this 
part  of  the  country  and  fled  to  Gittanin,  and  this  city, 
Beeroth,  was  included  in  the  inheritance  of  Benjamin. 
This  village  now  contains  about  eight  hundred  inhabit- 
ants. Not  far  from  the  village  is  an  excellent  spring  of 
water,  with  some  remains  of  ancient  reservoirs.  There  is 
a  tradition  handed  down  from  the  16th  century  that  this 
is  the  place  were  Joseph  and  Mary  discovered  that 
Jesus  was  not  in  the  company  of  those  who  had  been 
to  the  Feast  of  the  Passover  at  Jerusalem. 

Jesus  at  this  time  was  twelve  years  old.  His  par- 
ents, supposing  he  was  with  some  of  their  relatives,  went 
"a  day's  journey,"  which  is  really  but  a  short  distance 
when  it  is  considered  that  women  and  children  had  to 
walk  up  and  down  those  hills  and  along  such  roads  or 
stony-  paths  as  I  have  described.  I  have  heard  some 
people  marvel  at  this  occurrence,  and  even  go  so  far  as 
to  say  that  it  was  an  evidence  to  them  that  his  par- 


434  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

ents  placed  but  little  confidence  in  the  predictions 
which  had  been  made  concerning  him 

I  see  nothing  in  this  circumstance,  however,  to 
justify  any  such  inference.  I  have  no  doubt  but  that 
Joseph  and  Mary  treated  the  boy  Jesus  just  as  their 
relatives  and  neighbors  treated  their  boys  of  the  same 
age.  It  is  evident,  from  the  relation  of  this  circum- 
stance as  given  in  the  scriptures,  that  his  parents,  no 
matter  what  convictions  may  have  been  entertained  by 
them  as  to  the  fulfillment  of  prophecies  and  predic- 
tions relating  to  his  peculiar  mission,  were  not  expect- 
ing him  to  begin  his  mission,  nor  to  show  any  extra- 
ordinary powers  of  mind  at  the  age  lie  then  was.  For 
the  scriptures  say  when  they  found  him  (after  a  three 
days'  search)  in  the  temple,  sitting  in  the  midst  of  the 
doctors  asking  and  answering  questions,  that  they,  as 
was  every  one,  were  amazed  and  astonished  at  his 
understanding  and  his  answers.  And  when  his  mother 
informed  him  that  they  had  sought  him  sorrowing,  he 
asked  her  if  she  knew  not  he  must  be  about  his  father's 
business.  No,  she  didn't,  nor  did  she  at  that  time  com- 
prehend him.  "  But  his  mother  kept  all  these  eayiners  in 
her  heart." 

I  am  sure  there  was  never  a  day  nor  an  hour  in  this 
mother's  life  from  the  time  she  was  visited  by  the 
angel  and  was  told  that  she  should  give  birth  to  a  son, 
and  that  she  should  call  his  name  "  Jesus,"  that  he 
"  should  be  great ; "  that  "  he  should  be  called  the  Son 
of  the  Highest ; "  that  the  Lord  God  would  give  unto 
him  the  throne  of  his  father,  David,  etc.,  etc.;  I  repeat, 
I  have  no  idea  that  there  ever  arose  in  the  mind  of  this 
mother  from  that  good  hour  to  the  day  of  her  death,  a 
doubt  as  to  the  final  fulfillment  of  all  the  precious 


AND  THE   HOLT   LAND.  435 

promises  made  her  in  regard  to  the  mission  of  her 
son. 

This  our  first  day  on  the  road  to  Damascus  we  find 
our  tent  pitched  and  lunch  spread  on  the  site  of  old 
Bethel,  iiow'an  Arab  village  on  the  hill-side,  surrounded 
with  fig  and  almond  orchards.  From  Jerusalem  out 
as  far  as  Bethel  the  Judean  hills  are  barren,  rocky  and 
almost  wholly  destitute  of  verdure. 

As  we  feel  somewhat  refreshed,  now  that  we  have 
finished  our  luncheon,  we  will  talk  of  the  old  Bethel 
which  stood  here  long  before  the  days  of  the  Savior. 

It  was  first  called  Luz.  When  Abram  first  came 
down  through  this  country  he  stopped  on  a  mountain 
east  of  here  between  this  place  and  Ai,  where  he  built 
the  second  altar  ever  erected  to  the  Lord  in  this  land 
of  Canaan. 

About  3,650  years  ago  we  are  told  his  grandson 
Jacob,  at  the  suggestion  of  Rebecca,  his  mother, 
deceived  his  old  father  Isaac  when  he  was  old  and 
blind,  and  by  deception  obtained  the  blessing  which 
Isaac  thought  he  was  bestowing  upon  Esau,  his  first 
born,  by  which  he  incurred  the-ill  will  of  his  brother 
Esau.  Esau  was  not  to  blame  for  cherishing  hard 
feelings  against  Jacob,  for  this  was  not  the  first  time 
he  had  treated  him  unkindly.  On  another  occasion 
prior  to  this  Esau  was  very  ill  and  thought  he  was 
going  to  die.  Jacob,  taking  advantage  of  his  condition, 
bought  his  birthright  for  a  mess  of  pottage. 

Rebecca  persuaded  Isaac  to  send  Jacob  to  Laban, 
her  brother,  who  lived  at  Padanarara,  to  prevent  him 
from  marrying  the  daughters  of  the  land.  Jacob,  in 
obedience  to  the  request  of  his  father  and  mother,  left 
Beer-sheba  and  went  towards  Haran. 


436  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

"And  alighted  upon  a  certain  place  and  tarried  there 
all  night  because  the  sun  was  set.  And  he  took  up  the 
stones  of  that  place  and  put  them  for  his  pillow  and 
lay  down  in  that  place  to  sleep. "  This  is  the  place 
Jacob  lay  down  to  sleep,  and  the  place  wfcere  he  had 
that  wonderful  dream  or  vision.  Was  it  inspiration  or 
revelation  ?  The  vision  was  so  impressed  upon  the 
mind  of  Jacob  that  when  he  arose  he  said:  "  Surely  the 
Lord  is  in  this  place  and  I  knew  it  not.  "  And  he  was 
afraid  and  said:  "How  dreadful  is  this  place;  this  is 
none  other  but  the  house  of  God  and  this  is  the  gate 
of  heaven. " 

I  believe  it  is  conceded  that  all  of  our  knowledge 
may  be  classed  as  of  three  kinds  —  that  which  we 
receive  through  the  medium  of  the  senses,  that  which 
we  perceive  inwardly  in  the  mind  itself  through 
consciousness,  and  that  which  once  taken  into  the 
mind  is  worked  up  by  the  reflective  faculties."  From 
this  standpoint  where  did  Jacob  get  the  vision  of  the 
ladder,  one  end  of  which  was  resting  npon  the  earth 
and  the  other  reaching  to  heaven,  with  angels  ascend- 
ing and  descending  on  it  ? 

"And  behold  the  Lord  stood  above  it  and  said,  I  am 
the  Lord  God  of  Abraham,  thy  father,  and  the  God  of 
Isaac.  The  land  whereupon  thou  lyest,  to  thee  will  I 
give  it  and  to  thy  seed." 

If  we  regard  inspiration  as  being  the  sign  of  inward 
truth,  a  truth  which  is  seen  within  the  mind  indepen- 
dent of  impressions,  made  upon  it  by  external  objects 
through  the  medium  of  the  senses,  then  we  must  regard 
the  vision  of  Jacob  as  an  inspiration,  for  we  may  be 
sure  Jacob  had  never  seen  anything  that  even  resem- 
bled this  wonderful  sight  before.  God  put  those  grand 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  437 

and  sublime  thoughts  into  his  mind  and  painted  the 
picture  on  the  canvas  of  his  brain,  unaided  by  external 
objects  or  the  senses.  But  it  is  not  my  intention  to 
discuss  these  psychological  questions,  I  leave  them  to 
those  more  competent  to  do  justice  to  them  than  I  am. 

We  are  further  told  that  God  promised  him  during 
this  dreamy  night  a  numerous  posterity,  and  in  him 
should  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed.  He 
further  promised  to  keep  him  in  all  places  he  went  and 
to  bring  him  back  into  Canaan. 

Jacob  was  so  fully  impressed  with  the  fact  that  this 
was  no  ordinary  dream  that  he  took  the  stones  he  had 
used  for  a  pillow  and  erected  an  altar  for  the  Lord  and 
poured  oil  thereon. 

Jacob,  so  far  as  we  have  any  account  of  it,  never  in 
after  life  doubted  or  called  in  question  the  vision  being 
of  God,  and  we  find  that  it  extended  an  influence  over  him 
in  all  his  after  life.  From  his  twelve  sons  descended 
the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel,  God's  own  peculiar  people. 
This  pretty  location  is  all  we  can  now  see  of  this  place, 
but  we  know  we  are  sitting  upon  the  same  ground  upon 
which  Jacob  was  lying  when  the  curtain  which  hides 
the  upper  and  better  world  from  our  sight  was  drawn 
aside  by  the  omnipotent  hand  of  Jehovah,  and  Jacob 
was  allowed  to  look  into  one  of  the  windows  of  heaven, 
and  see  in  part  the  glories  of  the  world  to  come.  In 
his  dream  he  saw  God,  whose  presence  will  constitute 
the  brightness  and  glory  of  eternity. 

While  we  were  seated  in  the  door  of  our  lunch  tent, 
thinking  of  what  is  written  above,  an  old  Arab  beggar 
went  to  roost  on  a  stone  lying  some  twenty  feet  in 
front  of  the  tent.  Brother  Wharton  suggested  that  I 
take  his  picture,  and  I  did  so.  I  also  secured  the  pic- 


438  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

ture  of  some  Arab  children  perched  upon  a  stone  fence 
near  whidh  the  tent  was  pitched.  That  old  Ishmaelite 
doesn't  know  that  such  men  as  Isaac  and  Jacob  ever 
lived  in  this  country.  He  thinks  Mohammed  made-this 
country  for  his  followers,  the  Ishmaelites. 

After  the  death  of  King  Solomon,  Rehoboam  was 
king  in  his  stead.  Ten  tribes,  you  remember,  revolted 
and  made  Jeroboam  their  king.  Rehoboam  assembled 
the  army  of  Judah  to  make  war  against  Jeroboam  to 
recover  his  territory.  "  But  the  word  of  the  Lord  came 
unto  Shemaiah,  the  man  of  God,  saying  that  the  men 
of  Judah  and  Benjamin  should  not  go  up  and  fight 
against  their  brethren,  the  children  of  Israel,  but  that 
every  man  should  return  to  his  house;  that  he  (the 
Lord)  had  done  this  thing." 

After  this,  Jeroboam,  fearing  if  the  people  continued 
their  pilgrimages  to  Jerusalem  to  worship  that  they 
might  be  induced  by  Rehoboam  to  again  consolidate 
the  empire  under  one  king,  as  it  had  been  adminis- 
tered by  his  father  Solomon,  and  his  grandfather 
David, — in  which  event  his  own  life  would  be  sacri- 
ficed,— erected  two  golden  calves ;  one  at  this  point 
and  the  other  at  Dan.  Jeroboam  then  said  to  the 
people :  "  It  is  too  much  for  you  to  go  up  to  Jerusa- 
lem to  worship;  behold  thy  gods,  O  Israel,  which 
brought  thee  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt." 
Query — Was  the  calf  selected  because  the  bull  was 
worshiped  in  Egypt — the  land  of  their  bondage? 

Now,  reader,  if  this  old  site  was  occupied  by  any 
one  or  more  of  these  Oriental  so-called  "  Christian 
sects,"  we  would  be  shown  a  hole  chiseled  in  a  stone 
hereabout,  covered  by  a  cathedral,  a  hospice,  chapel 
or  mosque,  and  would  be  told  with  all  the  seriousness 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  439 

of  a  pharisee  that  "  Here  Jeroboam's  golden  calf  was 
erected,"  and  you  would  be  shown  a  hole  in  the  stone 
as  proof  of  the  truth  of  the  story.  • 

This  religio-political  move  on  the  part  of  Jeroboam 
didn't  pan  out  altogether  as  he  expected. 

He  built  an  house  of  high  places  and  ordained 
priests  of  the  lower  orders  of  the  people  ;  people  who 
were  not  of  the  family  of  Levi.  He  also  ordained  a 
feast  like  unto  the  feast  of  Judah,  and  offered  sacri- 
fices to  the  calves,'  both  here  at  Bethel  and  at  Dan, 
which  latter  place  was  situated  on  the  northern 
boundary  of  his  kingdom,  as  Bethel  here  was  on  the 
southern  boundary. 

After  this  wily  king  had  arranged  everything  to  his 
liking,  there  came  a  "  man  of  God "  out  of  Judah, 
sent  by  the  Lord,  and,  in  obedience  to  his  commands, 
cried  against  the  altars,  saying:  "O  altar,  altar! 
thus  sayeth  the  Lord  :  Behold,  a  child  shall  be  born 
to  the  house  of  David,  Josiah  by  name,  and  upon  thee 
shall  he  offer  the  priests  of  the  high  places  that  burn 
incense  upon  thee,  and  men's  bones  shall  be  burnt  upon 
thee." 

The  "  man  of  God  "  gave  them  a  sign  or  testimony 
of  his  mission,  saying:  "Behold  the  altar  shall  be 
rent,  and  the  ashes  that  are  upon  it  shall  be  poured 
out." 

Jeroboam  was  displeased  with  this  in  regard  to  his 
altar  and  stretched  forth  his  hand  from  the  altar,  say- 
ing: "Lay  hold  on  him;"  the  hand,  however, which  he 
put  forth  against  the  "  man  of  God  "  "  dried  up  so  he 
could  not  withdraw  it."  The  altar  was  rent,  and  the 
ashes  were  poured  out  from,  the  altar. 

Now  Jeroboam  was  in  a  dilemma,  and  his  fondest 


440  TBAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

anticipations  brought  to  naught.  How  often  in  life 
have  we,  like  Jeroboam,  had  our  dreams  of  happiness 
and  pleasure  rent,'  and  turned  to  ashes  before  our  eyes. 

This  "  man  of  God,"  at  the  earnest  prayer  of  the  king, 
"  Entreated  the  Lord  for  the  restoration  of  his  hand, 
which  the  Lord  restored."  Jeroboam  then  entreated 
the  "man  of  God  "  to  go  home  with  him,  and  refresh 
himself  and  receive  a  reward  for  restoring  his  hand. 

Now,  hear  what  this  man  said  to  the  king,  and  then 
see  what  he  did,  and  we  learn  over  again  the  lesson 
taught  by  Paul  when  he  said :  "  What  I  would,  that  do 
I  not."  Paul  was  a  man  as  we  are,  and  in  giving  his 
own  experience  gives  ours. 

This  man  told  the  Jdng  that  he  had  been  charged  by 
the  word  of  the  Lord  to  "  Eat  no  bread  nor  drink  water 
in  this  place,  and  not  to  return  by  the  way  he  came.' 

So  when  he  started  back  to  Judab  he  went  another 
way.  It  seems  that  there  was  an  old  prophet  living 
here  at  that  time,  and  his  boys,  Wee  all  boys,  wanted  to 
see  and  know  everything  that  was  transpiring  about 
the  village.  Having  seen  what  was  done  and  said  by 
the  "  man  of  God,"  went  home  and  told  their  father 
about  it.  The  father  asked  them  which  way  the  "  man 
of  God"  went  when  he  left  them,  and  they  told  him. 
The  old  prophet  then  told  his  sons  to  saddle  his  donkey, 
and  he  went  in  pursuit  of  the  "  man  of  God,"  and  found 
him  sitting  under  an  oak  tree. 

The  prophet  asked  him  if  he  was  the  "man  of  God" 
that  came  from  Judab.,  and  he  said  :  "  I  am."  The 
prophet  then  asked  him  to  come  home  with  him  and 
eat  bread.  The  "man  of  God"  then  repeated  to  him 
"  what  had  been  charged  him  by  the  word  of  the  Lord." 
Now  listen  what  a  lie  this  old  prophet  told  him.  It 


AND    THE    HOLY   LAND.  44:1 

would  be  interesting  to  know  the  object  this  old  man 
had  in  view,  the  incentive  in  his  mind  which  prompted 
him  to  manufacture  such  a  plausible  yet  such  a  willful, 
knowing  lie. 

He  says  to  the  "  man  of  God  " :  "  I  too  am  a  prophet 
as  thou  art,  and  an  angel  spake  unto  me  the  word  of 
the  Lord  saying:  Bring  him  back  with  thee  into  thine 
house  that  he  may  eat  bread  and  drink  water."  Lying 
and  deceit  are  bad  enough,  the  Lord  knows,  but  when 
they  are  resorted  to  by  men  claiming  to  have  been 
"  called  of  God  "  for  the  accomplishment  of  his  purposes 
among  the  children  of  men,  it  always  seemed  to  me  to  be 
tenfold  worse  as  a  sin  in  the  sight  of  God  and  against  his 
moral  government.  A  sin  is  a  sin,  whether  perpetrated 
by  one  "sent  of  God"  or  one  not  sent.  But  men  view 
it  differently. 

The  Savior  impressed  his  teachings  upon  the  minds 
of  men  by.  his  example,  and  unless  a  man's  life  harmo- 
nizes with  his  teachings  his  teachings  fall  to  the  ground, 
and  he  becomes  a  reproach  among  men  and. a  blotch 
upon  the  fair  name  of  Christianity,  which  he  professes 
to  teach.  If  Christianity  doesen't  make  a  man  truthful 
and  honest  it  is  a  failure. 

This  man  of  God  believed  what  the  old  prophet  told 
him  and  obeyed  him  instead  of  God ;  and  while  they 
were  sitting  at  the  table  eating,  the  Lord  told  the  old 
prophet  to  tell  the  man  of  God  "  that  for  this  act  of 
disobedience,  for  allowing  himself  to  be  thus  deceived, 
that  his  carcase  should  not  be  buried  in  the  sepulchre 
of  his  fathers."  After  they  had  finished  their  meal, 
the  old  man  saddled  the  donkey  of  the  "man  of  God,'3 
and  he  went  his  wa}^,  but  before  he  had  gotten  very  far 
from  Bethel  a  "  lion  met  him  by  the  way  and  slew 


442  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

him."  Some  one  passing  that  way  saw  the  dead  man 
by  the  way  and  the  lion  standing  by  the  corpse,  and 
told  the  old  prophet  about  it.  When  he  heard  it  he 
went  and  brought  the  body  back  on  his  donkey  and 
buried  it  in  his  own  sepulchre,  and  gave  order  to  his 
sons  that  when  he  himself  died  that  they  were  to  bury 
him  in  the  grave  with  the  bones,  of  the  "man  of  God." 

According  to  bible  chronology,  three  hundred  and 
fifty  years  -after  this  old  "  man  of  God  "  told  Jerobo- 
am's altar  that  a  child  should  be  born  unto  the  house 
of  David,  Josiah  by  name,  that  would  offer  upon  it 
the  priests  of  the  high  places,  and  burn  their  bones 
upon  it,  we  find  Josiah,  king  of  Judah,  destroying  all 
the  high  places,  cutting  down  the  groves  that  were 
before  Jerusalem  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Mount  of 
Corruption  which  Solomon  builded  for  Ashtoreth,  the 
abomination  of  the  Zidonians,  etc.,  and  breaking  in 
pieces  the  images  and  filling  their  places  with  the  bones 
of  men.  I  infer  from  this  expression  that  these  locali- 
ties were  used  for  the  burial  of  the  dead,  for  all  the 
localities  mentioned  in  the  scriptures  as  being  occupied 
by  these  altars  of  idolatrous  worship  around  and  about 
Jerusalem  are  now  covered  with  tombs. 

"  Moreover,  the  altar  that  was  at  Bethel  and  the  high 
place  which  Jeroboam,  the  son  of  Nebat,  who  made 
Israel  t»  sin,  had  made,  both  that  altar  and  the  high 
place  he  brake  down  and  burned  the  high  place  and 

amped  it  small  to  powder  and  burned  the  grove.  " 

After  Josiah  had  thus  far  fulfilled  the  word  spoken 
by  the  "  man  of  God, "  he  turned  and  saw  the  sepul- 
chres that  were  there  in  the  mount.  He  sent  and  took 
the  bones  out  of  them  and  burned  them  upon  the  altar, 
and  polluted  it  according  to  the  word  of  the  Lord  which 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND  443 

the  man  of  God  proclaimed,  who  proclaimed  these 
words. " 

While  Josiah  was  seeing  this  done  he  saw  a  tomb 
with  a  title  or  inscription  upon  it,  and  he  asked  what 
title  it  was,  and  was  told  that  it  was  the  sepulchre  of 
the  "  man  of  God,"  and  he  gave  orders  that  no  man  dis- 
turb them. 

"  Josiah  went  on  with  the  good  work  throughout  all 
Samaria,  destroying  all  the  places  of  idolatrous  worship, 
and  did  unto  them  as  he  had  done  here  at  Bethel,  and 
slew  their  priests  that  were  there  upon  the  altars  and 
burnt  men's  bones  upon  them."  >* 

Reader,  you  will  not  forget  that  Hiel,  who  undertook 
to  rebuild  Jericho,  lived  here.  The  country  immediately 
around  Bethel  is  not  as  barren  and  desolate  as  it  is 
between  Bethel  and  Jerusalem. 

After  leaving  Bethel  we  bad  an  exceedingly  rough 
road  up  and  down  mountain  gorges,  passing  several 
Arab  villages  located  on  the  sides  or  on  the  tops  of  the 
mountains.  Wherever  we  saw  a  valley  or  hill-side 
susceptible  of  cultivation  it  was  generally  planted  in 
either  olive,  fig,  pomegranite  or  almond  trees.  We 
saw  some. beautiful  springs  among  the  mountains. 

One  I  well  remember.  We  had  been  traveling  down 
an  exceedingly  rough  gorge  between  two  mountains, 
and  had  reached  the  narrow  floor  of  a  canyon.  After 
riding  along  this  narrow  valley  bounded  by  high  rock 
blqffs  on  each  side  for  a  short  distance,  we  came  to  a 
fine  bold  spring  gushing  out  from  beneath  the  rock 
bluff.  All  above  and  around  it  were  streamlets  trickling 
down  the  base  of  the  cliff.  Adjacent  are  several  caverns 
and  the  ruins  of  an  old  khan  or  tavern. 

This    is    called   the    robber   spring,   and  from  its 


444  TBAVELS  IN   EGYPT 

environments  it  seems  to  be  fitly  named.  A  narrow 
deep  canyon  in  the  midst  of  mountains  with  not  a 
habitation  in  sight  seems  a  fitting  resort  for  a  clan  of 
desperadoes,  outlaws  or  thieving  Bedouins. 

After  leaving  the  rocky  spring  we  ascended  a  valley 
running  north,  and  after  riding  some  two  or  three  miles 
came  into  a  broad,  beautiful,  well  cultivated  valley 
lying  mainly  to  our  right.  Off  to  the  left,  perhaps  a 
mile  distant,  is  an  Arab  village  called  Turmus  Aya. 

Skirting  along  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  hills 
bordering  the  valley  a  few  miles  further  on  we  fii»d 
our  teats  pitched  on  an  elevated  plateau  overlooking 
the  plain,  and  near  an  Arab  village  called  Sinjil;  and 
here,  after  a  fatiguing  day's  journey  over  as  rough 
paths  as  I  ever  traveled  before,  we  propose  to  spend 
the  night. 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND. 


CHAPTEK  XVIII. 

UPON  getting  up  early  on  this  the  second  day  of 
our  journey  from  Jerusalem  to  Damascus,  I  saw 
a  sight  which  shows  to  what  extremity  these  peasant 
people  of  Palestine  are  driven  to  eke  out  a  miserable 
existence,  i.  e.,  it  would  be  a  miserable  existence  to  a 
people* who  had  ever  known  anything  better.  There 
were  some  ten  or  a  dozen  half-clad,  haggard-looking 
women  and  young  girls,  gathering  up  with  their  hands 
the  waste  straw,  chaff,  and  excrement  of  the  horses, 
and  carrying  it  off  in  flat  rush  baskets  on  their  heads. 
This  refuse  is  taken  to  their  homes,  worked  up  together 
and  made  into  cakes,  sundried  and  used  for  fuel.  This 
sight  was  repeated  every  morning  while  we  were  in 
Palestine. 

From  Jerusalem,  out  as  far  as  Bethel,  and,  indeed,  as 
far  as  the  valley  above  referred  to,  is  a  desolate,  rocky, 
mountainous  country.  Wherever  a  narrow  valley 
winds  itself  among  the  hills,  or  wherever  a  mountain 
may  be  seen  having  a  deposit  of  soil  over  its  stony 
sides,  they  are  very  fertile,  and  produce  luxuriant  crops 
of  grain,  fruits,  etc.  This  part  of  Palestine  is  not  as 
densely  populated  as  it  is  south  of  Jerusalem  and  fur- 
ther north.  After  a  day's  ride  over  these  roads,  no  one 
complains  of  a  want  of  appetite  or  inability  to  sleep. 
All  eat  heartily  and  sleep  soundly. 

It  is  determined  before  we  leave  Sinjil  to  make  a 
digression  from  the  main  route,  and  cross  the  plain,  that 
we  may  see  the  site  of  the  old  city  of  Shiloh.  The  road 
crosses  the  plain  in  a  northeasterly  direction.  About  a 

447 


448  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

mile  from  Sinjil  we  pass  and  leave  to  the  right,  sur- 
rounded by  fruit  trees,  the  village  Turmus  Aya. 
We  find  this  valley  admirably  cultivated,  considering 
their  rude  and  imperfect  agricultural  implements.  We 
next  ascend  a  small  valley  to  the  north  or  northeast, 
and  some  two  miles  further  on  reach  the  site  of  this 
once  flourishing  city. 

This  place  is  easily  found  and  identified  from  the 
location  of  it  given  in  the  scriptures  which  say,s  that 
Shiloh  "  is  a  place  which  is  on  the  north  side  of 
Bethel,  on  the  east  side  of  the  highway  that  goeth  up 
from  Bethel  to  Sechem  and  on  the  south  of  Lebonah. " 
This  Lebonah  refers  to  an  excellent  spring  which  can 
be  found  about  a  mile  in  a  northerly  direction  from  the 
site  of  Shiloh.  There  is  a  village  there  now,and  no  doubt 
there  was  one  near  the  same  locality  when  the  above 
was  written. 

The  city  of  Shiloh  was  prettily  located  on  an  ele- 
vated ridge  a  little  back  from  the  valley.  Around  the 
old  city  the  land  which  is  high  rolling  ridge  land  is 
very  fertile,  and  no  doubt  at  one  time  was  in  a  fine 
state  of  cultivation.  The  majority  of  Texans,  espec- 
ially those  who  have  been  raised  on  the  prairie  portion 
of  the  state,  as  a  general  thing,  have  erroneous  ideas 
as  to  the  fertility  and  productiveness  of  mountain  coun- 
tries. When  the  mountain  sides  can  be  terraced  and 
brought  into  cultivation  they  are  usually  the  most  pro- 
ductive lands  to  be  found. 

All  that  remains  of  old  Shiloh  now  is  its  paved 
streets,  and  not  many  of  those  can  be  traced  for  any 
distance.  On  modern  pictures  of  this  old  site  you  find 
an  old  stone  building ;  this  is  a  modern  structure  and 
has  no  connection  or  association  with  the  old  city. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  449 

It  was  here  Joshua  divided  the  land  of  Palestine 
between  the  tribes  of  Israel,  and  set  up  the  tabernacle 
which  remained  here  till  the  Philistines  captured  it  at 
Ebenezer  when  old  Eli's  two  sons  Hophniand  Phinehas 
were  slain,  and  the  ark  carried  down  to  4-shdod.  The 
Lord  had  told  this  old  priest  that  these  two  boys 
of  his  should  die  on  the  same  day,  "  because  they  made 
themselves  vile  and  he  restrained  them  not.  "  If  the 
Lord  was  to  deal  with  the  parents  of  boys  in  this  day 
and  generation  as  he  did  with  old  Eli,  there  would  be 
very  few  boys  left  in  the  land,  especially  about  our 
towns.  Here  is  where  little  Samuel  officiated  as  a 
priest  when  a  mere  child,  supplanting  old  Eli  on  account 
of  the  meanness  of  his  boys. 

This  old  man  Eli  was  ninety -eight  years  old  and  was 
almost  blind,  and  when  the  news  of  the  death  of  his 
two  sons  was  brought  to  him  by  a  Benjamite  from 
the  battlefield,  the  old  man  was  sitting  by  the  way- 
side that  he  might  hear  the  result  of  the  battle.  For 
we  are  told  his  heart  trembled,  not  for  the  welfare  of 
his  sons,  but  for  the  ark  of  God.  He  sat  still  while 
being  told  of  the  death  of  his  sons,  but  when  he  heard 
the  ark  was  taken  he  fell  from  his  seat  and  broke  his 
neck  and  died. 

While  the  ark  of  the  Lord  was  at  Shiloh,  i.  e.,  during 
the  period  of  the  Judges,  they  had  a  yearly  "feast  of 
the  Lord"  and  a  dance,  and  the  Benjamites  came 
here  and  laid  in  wait,  and  when  the  young  ladies  of 
Shiloh  came  out  to  have  their  dance  the  Benjamites 
seized  every  man  his  girl  for  a  wife,  and  carried  them 
to  the  land  of  Benjamin;  all  the  women  of  their  tribe 
having  been  killed  when  their  country  was  overrun 


448  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

mile  from  Sinjil  we  pass  and  leave  to  the  right,  sur- 
rounded by  fruit  trees,  the  village  Turmus  Aya. 
We  find  this  valley  admirably  cultivated,  considering 
their  rude  and  imperfect  agricultural  implements.  We 
next  ascend  a  small  valley  to  the  north  or  northeast, 
and  some  two  miles  further  on  reach  the  site  of  this 
once  flourishing  city. 

This  place  is  easily  found  and  identified  from  the 
location  of  it  given  in  the  scriptures  which  say,s  that 
Shiloh  "  is  a  place  which  is  on  the  north  side  of 
Bethel,  on  the  east  side  of  the  highway  that  goeth  up 
from  Bethel  to  Sechem  and  on  the  south  of  Lebonah. " 
This  Lebonah  refers  to  an  excellent  spring  which  can 
be  found  about  a  mile  in  a  northerly  direction  from  the 
site  of  Shiloh.  There  is  a  village  there  now,and  no  doubt 
there  was  one  near  the  same  locality  when  the  above 
was  written. 

The  city  of  Shiloh  was  prettily  located  on  an  ele- 
vated ridge  a  little  back  from  the  vallej7.  Around  the 
old  city  the  land  which  is  high  rolling  ridge  land  is 
very  fertile,  and  no  doubt  at  one  time  was  in  a  fine 
state  of  cultivation.  The  majority  of  Texan s,  espec- 
ially those  who  have  been  raised  on  the  prairie  portion 
of  the  state,  as  a  general  thing,  have  erroneous  ideas 
as  to  the  fertility  and  productiveness  of  mountain  coun- 
tries. When  the  mountain  sides  can  be  terraced  and 
brought  into  cultivation  they  are  usually  the  most  pro- 
ductive lands  to  be  found. 

All  that  remains  of  old  Shiloh  now  is  its  paved 
streets,  and  not  many  of  those  can  be  traced  for  any 
distance.  On  modern  pictures  of  this  old  site  you  find 
an  old  stone  building ;  this  is  a  modern  structure  and 
has  no  connection  or  association  with  the  old  city. 


AND  THE    HOLY    LAND.  449 

It  was  here  Joshua  divided  the  land  of  Palestine 
between  the  tribes  of  Israel,  and  set  up  the  tabernacle 
which  remained  here  till  the  Philistines  captured  it  at 
Ebenezer  when  old  Eli's  two  sons  Uophniand  Phinehas 
were  slain,  and  the  ark  carried  down  to  Ashdod.  The 
Lord  had  told  this  old  priest  that  these  two  boys 
of  his  should  die  on  the  same  day,  "  because  they  made 
themselves  vile  and  he  restrained  them  not.  "  If  the 
Lord  was  to  deal  with  the  parents  of  boys  in  this  day 
and  generation  as  he  did  with  old  Eli,  there  would  be 
very  few  boys  left  in  the  land,  especially  about  our 
towns.  Here  is  where  little  Samuel  officiated  as  a 
priest  when  a  mere  child,  supplanting  old  Eli  on  account 
of  the  meanness  of  his  boys. 

This  old  man  Eli  was  ninety-eight  years  old  and  was 
almost  blind,  and  when  the  news  of  the  death  of  his 
two  sons  was  brought  to  him  by  a  Benjam  ite  from 
the  battlefield,  the  old  man  was  sitting  by  the  way- 
side that  he  might  hear  the  result  of  the  battle.  For 
we  are  told  his  heart  trembled,  not  for  the  welfare  of 
his  sons,  but  for  the  ark  of  God.  He  sat  still  while 
being  told  of  the  death  of  his  sons,  but  when  he  heard 
the  ark  was  taken  he  fell  from  his  seat  and  broke  his 
neck  and  died. 

While  the  ark  of  the  Lord  was  at  Shiloh,  i.  e.,  during 
the  period  of  the  Judges,  they  had  a  yearly  u  feast  of 
the  Lord"  and  a  dance,  and  the  Benjamites  came 
here  and  laid  in  wait,  and  when  the  young  ladies  of 
Shiloh  came  out  to  have  their  dance  the  Benjamites 
seized  every  man  his  girl  for  a  wife,  and  carried  them 
to  the  land  of  Benjamin;  all  the  women  of  their  tribe 
having  been  killed  when  their  country  was  overrun 


450  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

and  destroyed  on  account  of  their  refusal  to  deliver  the 
sons  of  Belial  at  Gibeah,  as  hereinbefore  related. 

After  the  ark  of  God  was  captured  and  carried  off 
from  this  place  it  began  to  decline  and  soon  came  to 
naught.  When  one  of  the  prophets  was  foretelling  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem,  how  thoroughly  it  should  be 
demolished,  he  uses  these  words :  "  Therefore  will  I 
do  unto  this  house  which  is  called  by  my  name  wherein 
ye  trust,  and  unto  the  place  which  I  gave  you,  and  to 
your  fathers  as  I  have  done  to  Shiloh."  And- again 
the  same  prophet  says  :  "  Then  will  I  make  this  house 
like  Shiloh,  and  will  make  this  city  a  curse  to  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth." 

Now,  reader,  as  you  sit  with  me  on  our  horses 
in  the  streets  of  this  once  beautiful  city  of  Shiloh,  look 
around  you  over  its  old  site  and  ask  yourself  the  ques- 
tion, could  its  destruction  be  more  complete  ?  So  was 
Jerusalem  after  the  siege  by  Titus. 

After  leaving  the  site  of  Shiloh  and  passing  out  of 
the  valley  we  again  ascend  one  of  the  high  hills  of 
Ephraim,  from  the  summit  of  which,  to  the  far  north, 
old  snow-covered  Hermon  came  in  view.  From  the 
top  of  this  mountain  we  could  also  see  the  great  valley 
of  Esdraelon,  framed,  as  it  were,  by  the  mountains  of 
Samaria.  Before  us  rise  Ebal  and  Gerizim,  the  mounts 
of  cursing  and  blessing. 

In.  descending  the  hill  to  the  valley  below  I  won't 
say  we  traveled  over  a  bad  road,  for  there  was  no  road, 
and  had  we  been  without  a  guide  I  am  sure  we  never 
would  have  attempted  to  make  our  way  down  those 
rocky  steeps  as  we  did.  It  looked  like  a  break-neck 
business  floundering  down  those  steep  hill-sides,  but 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  451 

our  Arab  ponies  were  sure-footed  and  carried  us  down 
without  accident. 

At  the  foot  of  the  hills  we  enter  the  valley  of 
Makhna.  Now,  reader,  don't  complain  of  these  Ara- 
bian names,  for  I  do  not  use  them  when  I  have  any 
other.  In  some  instances,  however,  we  have  to  use 
them,  as  we  have  no  others  given  us.  The  Arabians 
use  a  great  many  more  letters  in  spelling  words  than  is 
necessary.  In  the  word  above,  for  instances  the  "h" 
is  superfluous  and  silent.  The  word  is  pronounced 
"  mak-na."  I  think  the  boy  who  spelled  coffee 
"  kaughphy  "  was  an  Arab  boy.  and  spelled  after  the 
style  of  his  people. 

We  travel  along  the  foot  of  the  hills  which  bound 
the  above  named  valley  on  the  west,  and  after  going 
some  two  or  three  miles  find  our  lunch  tent  pitched  at 
Jacob's  well,  in  the  valley  and  near  the  northeast 
declivity  of  Mt.  Gerizim. 

Now,  reader,  don't  find  fault  with  me  for  relating  the 
incidents  mentioned  in  the  scriptures  connected  with 
or  as  having  occurred  at  the  places  mentioned  on  my 
journey  through  this  old  bible  land.  For,  while  they 
may  be  perfectly  familiar  to  you,  there  may  be  some 
readers  of  these  pages  to  whom  they  are  not,  and  to 
them  a  description  of  these  localities,  and  a  relation  of 
some  of  the  incidents  which  occurred  at  them,  may 
become  associated  in  their  minds  in  such  manner  as  to 
enable  them  to  remember  and  localize  many  incidents 
related  in  the  scriptures  which  they  might  not  be  able 
otherwise  to  do. 

Now  here  we  are  at  Jacob's  well,  an  imaginary  pic- 
ture of  which,  doubtless,  has  been  formed  in  the  mind 
of  every  bible  reader.  I  will  now  endeavor  to  give 


4:52  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

you  a  pen  picture  of  its  location  the  best  I  can,  hoping 
you  may  be  enabled  to  fix  it  in  your  mind  satisfactorily 
to  yourself. 

In  approaching  the  location  of  this  celebrated  well, 
we  skirt  along  the  side  of  Mt.  Gerizim  on  our  left. 
When  opposite  the  well  we  turn  at  a  right  angle  to  the 
right  and  go  down  the  slope  of  the  mountain  to  the 
floor  of  the  valley.  The  well  is  located  some  fifty  or 
one  hundred  yards  from  the  foot  of  the  mountain  in 
the  valley.  An  arm  of  the  valley  here  runs  west  be- 
tween Mt.  Gerizim  and  Mt.  Ebal.  The  well  is  situated 
near  where  this  valley,  called  "the  valley  of  Nablaus," 
unites  with  the  main  valley  of  Makhna  which  spreads 
out  to  the  north  and  east  into  an  extensive  plain.  To 
the  left  or  west  of  the  well  is  Mt.  Gerizim.  To  the 
north  west  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley  of  Nablaus 
is  Mt.  Ebal.  At  the  foot  of  Ebal  is  the  modern 
reputed  tomb  of  Joseph  covered  by  a  small  rock  house, 
I  think  the  tomb  of  Joseph,  like  that  of  Moses,  how- 
ever, is  unknown  even  to  the  present  day.  "And 
Joseph  took  an  oath  of  the  children  of  Israel,  saying, 
God  will  surely  visit  you  and  ye  shall  carry  up  my 
bones  from  hence."  And  we  read  further,  "  That 
Joseph  died,  being  an  hundred  and  ten  years  old,  and 
they  embalmed  him,  and  he  was  put  in  a  coffin  in 
Egypt,"  but  it  is  not  told  us  where  he  was  buried.  And 
I  am  of  the  opinion  that  could  the  mummified  body  of 
Joseph  be  found  and  unwrapped  important  and  won- 
derful revelations  would  be  brought  to  light. 

There  was  at  one  time  a  small  stone  house  erected 
over  the  well,  but  this  has  fallen  down,  and  the  stones 
of  which  it  was  built  are  now  lying  in  a  heap  around 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  453 

the  mouth  of  the  well  to  the  height  of  some  three  or 
four  feet. 

Near  the  well  and  southwest  of  it  are  the  remains 
of  an  old  church  which  was  standing  at  the  beginning 
of  the  5th  century,  but  had  been  destroyed  by  the  time 
of  the  Crusaders.  The  debris  of  this  old  church  forms 
quite  a  mound  near  the  well.  The  well  is  curbed  with 
stone  and  was  formerly  seventy-five  feet  deep.  Yisitors 
have  thrown  stone  in  it  until  its  bottom  has  been 
raised  some  six  or  eight  feet.  It  is  seven  and  a  half 
feet  in  diameter  and  has  water  in  it  except  in  the 
midst  of  the  long  dry  summer  months.  Jews,  Chris- 
tians and  Mohammedans  all  unite  in  pronouncing  this 
Jacob's  well. 

When  Jacob  left  old  Laban's,  his  father-in-law's  house, 
in  the  land  of  Padan  Aran,and  made  his  way  back  to 
Palestine,  he  did  a  good  thing,  for  his  old  uncle 
Laban  was  trying  in  every  way  possible  to  swindle  him 
out  of  his  honestly  earned  wages.  Jacob  had  been  with 
him  twenty  years,  and  had  worked  for  him  and 
attended  his  flocks  on  the  shares,  during  all  which  time 
his  uncle  required  Jacob  to  bear  all  the  losses.  If  any 
of  the  sheep  or  goats  were  stolen  by  day  or  night,  or 
torn  by  wild  beasts,  old  Laban  required  Jacob  to  make 
good  his  part  of  the  loss.  Because  the  Lord  prospered 
Jacob  the  old  "scamp  changed  his  contract  with  him  ten 
times.  Jacob  worked  fourteen  years  for  Rachael,  his 
wife.  I  don't  think  there  would  be  much  marrying 
these  days,  if  the  young  men  were  required  to  put  in 
seven  years  of  good  honest  work  for  the  "  old  man," 
as  the  father  is  usually  called  before  getting  the  girl, 
especially  that  class  of  them  who  in  these  modern  days 
are  styled  "  dudes."  The  only  difference  between  a 


454  TKAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

"  dude"  and  a  dummy,  that  I  can  discover,  is  that  the 
"  dudines "  fancy  the  "  dudes "  and  they  don't  the 
dummy.  I  think  the  difference,  however,  more  imag- 
inary than  real,  all  that  either  of  them  is  fit  for  is  a 
clothier's  sign. 

Things  are  changed  around  considerable  since  Jacob's 
times.  The  "  old  man "  has  in  many  instances,  at 
least  in  these  days,  to  work  for  his  son-in-law,  and  is 
expected  to  set  him  up  in  the  world  and  give  him  a  start, 
and  a  big  start  at  that,  or  there's  a  fuss  in  the  family. 
The  "old  man"  is  said  to  be  "selfish"  and  "stingy," 
and  the  young  wife  cries,  has  hysterics,  and  says  pa 
doesn't  love  her,  and  so  it  goes.  Quite  a  change  in  cus- 
toms since  Jacob's  times,  isn't  there  ? 

"We  learn  that  Jacob  bought  a  parcel  of  ground  here 
from  the  sons  of  Hamor  for  an  hundred  pieces  of  silver, 
and  this  land  afterwards  became  the  inheritance  of  the 
children  of  Joseph. 

"We  read  of  this  place,  that  Jesus,  having  left  Judea 
and  going  up  to  Galilee  on  one  occasion,  "  cometh  to 
a  city  of  Samaria,  which  is  called  Sychar,  near  the  par- 
cel of  ground  that  Jacob  gave  to  his  son  Joseph." 
"  Now,  Jacob's  well  was  there,  and  Jesus,  being  wea- 
ried, took  a  seat  on  the  well,  and  while  sitting  there  a 
woman  of  Samaria  came  to  draw  water,  and  Jesus 
asked  her  for  a  drink.  The  woman,  seeing  he  was  a 
Jew,  was  surprised  and  responded :  "  How  is  it  that 
thou,  being  a  Jew,  asketh  a  drink  of  me,  which  am  a 
Samaritan  ? "  At  that  time  Samaria  was  inhabited  by 
a  people  sent  into  it  by  the  king  of  Syria  that  were  not 
Jews,  and  the  Jews  and  Samaritans  had  no  dealings. 
Jesus  told  her  "  If  she  knew  the  gift  of  God  and  who 
it  was  that  asked  for  a  drink  she  would  have  asked' 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  455 

him  and  he  would  have  given  her  living  water."  This 
expression  of  our  Lord's  is  in  harmony  with  an  expres- 
sion used  by  Isaiah  seven  hundred  years  before  the 
birth  of  Christ :  "  Therefore  with  joy  shall  ye  draw 
water  out  of  the  wells  of  salvation." 

Quite  a  conversation  occurred  between  this  woman 
and  the  Savior,  in  which  he  told  her  of  her  former  life, 
thus  convincing  her  he  was  no  ordinary  man.  After 
which  he  laid  before  her  and  his  disciples  not  only  the 
way  of  life  and  salvation,  but  that  God  was  a  spirit  and 
they  that  worship  him  must  worship  him  in  spirit  and 
in  truth.  This  woman  was  so  forcibly  impressed  with 
what  the  Savior  told  her  that  she  left  her  water-pot 
and  went  her  way  into  the  city  and  said  to  the  men : 
"  Come  and  see  a  man  who  told  me  all  things  I  ever 
did.  Is  not  this  the  Christ  ? "  Many  went,  and  many 
were  convinced  from  his  teachings  that  he  was  indeed 
the  Christ,  the  Savior  of  the  world.  Jesus,  at  the 
earnest  solicitation  of  the  people,  remained  with  them 
two  days,  and  we  are  told  many  more  believed  because 
of  his  word. 

You  remember  an  occurrence  which  took  place  at 
this  old  city  of  Shechem  which  is  now  located  a  couple 
of  miles  west  of  Jacob's  well  in  the  valley  leading  off  to 
our  left,  between  the  mountains  of  Gerizim  and  Ebal, 
called  the  valley  of  Nablaus.  It  is  related  that  Jacob's 
sons,  in  revenge  for  an  outrage  done  their  sister  Dinah 
by  Shechem,  son  of  Hamor,  slew  all  the  men  of  the  city 
with  a  sword,  and  spoiled  the  city.  After  this  hap- 
pened, Jacob  became  alarmed,  fearing  the  people  to 
avenge  the  slaughter  done  by  his  sons  would  unite  and 
destroy  him  and  his  family.  "  He  told  his  sons, 
Simeon  and  Levi,  that  they  had  troubled  him  and  in 


456  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

consequence  of  this  act  of  theirs  the  inhabitants  of  the 
land  would  despise  him  and  would  slay  him  and  his 
house." 

In  this  emergency  God  told  him  to  go  to  Bethei  and 
dwell  there,  and  make  an  altar  unto  God  who  appeared 
unto  him  when  he  fled  from  Esau  his  brother.  Before 
starting  Jacob  told  his  family,  i.  e. ,  all  that  were  with 
him,  to  put  away  all  the  strange  gods  that  were  among 
them,  and  be  clean  and  change  their  garments.  Now, 
reader,  as  we  near  the  town  of  Nablaus  you  will  notice 
some  thirty  or  forty  yards  to  the  left  of  the  road  a 
small  rock  house  which  is  said  to  cover  the  spot  where 
Jacob  hid  these  gods. 

The  scriptures  say  he  took  all  the  strange  gods,  and 
all  the  ear-rings  that  were  in  their  ears,  and  hid  them 
under  an  oak  which  was  by  Shechem.  Somebody 
has  erected  a  small  stone  building  over  the  place  where 
it  is  said  this  tree  was  standing  under  which  old  Jacob 
(whose  name  God  changed  to  Israel)  buried  these 
household  gods  and  ear-rings.  I  think,  however,  this 
house  covers  some  tombs  as  well,  as  tourists  are  not 
permitted  to  enter  it. 

This  valley  of  Nablaus  or  Nabulus  is  finely  watered; 
the  brook  from  one  of  the  springs  flowing  down  near 
Jacob's  well,  turning  south  before  reaching  the  well, 
flows  between  the  well  and  the  foot  of  Gerizim. 

All  being  ready,  we  mount  our  horses  and  ride  up 
the  Nablaus  valley  to  Shechem,  having  Gerizim  on  our 
left  and  Ebal  on  our  right.  The  valley  is  narrow,  but 
well  set  in  olives  and  fruit  trees.  As  we  ride  up  the 
valley  we  pass  a  chapel  where  it  is  said  forty  Jewish 
prophets  are  buried,  and  where  the  pillar  of  Abimelech 
once  stood.  "  When  the  men  of  Shechem  gathered 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  457 

together  and  made  Abimelech  king  by  the  plain 
of  the  pillar  that  was  in  Shechem."  For  this  they 
had  a  lively  time  at  this  place  for  awhile,  but  finally 
this  usurper  Abimelech  was  killed,  and  peace 
reigned  once  more  in  Shechem.  Before  starting  we 
learned  that  the  remnant  of  the  Samaritans  were  in 
camp  on  the  top  of  Gerizim,  celebrating  the  Feast  of  the 
Passover.  So  before  reaching  the  town  we  turned 
(under  the  direction  of  a  guide)  to  the  left  and  began 
the  ascent  of  this  high  mountain,  whose  top  is  twenty- 
eight  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  sea  level. 

It  requires  an  hour  to  reach  the  summit  of  this  old 
mountain  of  Ephraim,  which  stands  as  one  of  the  many 
monuments  found  in  the  Holy  Land  testifying  to  the 
truth  of  the  history  of  this  old  land  as  given  in  the 
scriptures.  The  ascent  is  made  by  a  narrow,  crooked 
path,  winding  around  great  boulders,  first  in  one  direc- 
tion, and  then  in  another,  till  finally  we  reach  the  top 
and  see  spread  out  before  us  the  tents  of  the  Samaritans. 

As  we  approach  the  tents  we  are  surrounded  by 
boys,  each  offering  to  hold  our  horses  while  we  take  a 
stroll  around  the  encampment.  These  people  are  of 
medium  size,  light  yellow  or  rather  orange  complexion, 
well-featured,  resembling  the  Bethlehemites.  Their 
women  were  dressed  as  neat  and  tidy  as  their  extreme 
poverty  allow.  Some  of  them  wore  ornaments  of  ear- 
rings and  necklaces  and  other  showy  trinkets. 

They  had  slain,  cooked  and  eaten  the  pascal  lamb, 
in  strict  accordance  with  the  requirements  of  the 
Mosaic  law,  the  blood  of  the  slain  lamb  having  been 
sprinkled  on  the  sides  and  over  the  doors  of  the  tent. 
This  scene  was  one  of  peculiar  interest  to  me  at  the 
time,  as  I  had  just  come  from  the  land  of  Egypt,  and 


458  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

having  so  recently  passed  through  the  land  of  Goshen, 
in  which  the  Israelites  lived  and  where  they  were 
sorely  oppressed,  the  land  from  which  went  up  their 
piteous  cries  to  the  God  of  heaven,  having  so  recently 
stood  where  Moses  and  Aaron  stood  when  carrying  out 
under  God's  direction  their  grand  mission  of  deliverance 
when,  among  other  plagues  sent  upon  the  land  of 
Egypt  and  its  hardened  monarch,  the  angel  of  death 
visited  every  household  and  robbed  every  Egyptian 
family  of  its  first  born,  from  the  household  of  Pharaoh 
to  that  of  the  humblest  peasant  in  the  land ;  having 
just  passed  through  the  land  where  this  feast  of  the 
passover  was  instituted  more  than  three  thousand 
years  ago,  in  commemoration  of  the  special  protection 
and  preservation  of  the  children  of  his  own  peculiar 
people  on  that  fatal  night  when  the  cries  and  mourn- 
ings of  the  bereaved  Egyptians  went  up  from  every 
household. 

I  was  standing  in  the  midst  of  a  remnant  of  this  peo- 
ple while  they  were  celebrating  this  ancient  feast, 
instituted  and  inaugurated  by  God  himself  in  the  land 
of  Egypt,  to  be  perpetuated  by  them  as  a  nation  and 
as  a  people. 

What  a  forcible  and  beautiful  type  of  the  efficacy  of 
the  blood  of  the  Lamb  of  God,  that  saves  from  sin  and 
the  wages  of  sin,  which  is  death. 

To  me  this  was  a  wonderful  experience,  an  experi- 
ence which  I  can  never  forget.  The  whole  picture,  as 
it  was  impressed  upon  my  mind  that  evening  as  I 
looked  upon  the  circle  of  white  tents  of  this  remnant 
of  the  Samaritans,  performing  a  duty  which  God 
required  of  them  and  which  they  had  faithfully  per- 


AMRAX,  HIGH  PRIEST  OP  THE  SAMARITANS. 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  459 

formed  through  all  these  centuries,  interested  me  beyond 
measure. 

There  are  now  only  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  of 
the  Samaritans  living.  Their  high  priest,  "  Amran," 
was  very  cordial  in  his  greeting  and  seemed  not  only 
glad  to  meet  us,  but  was  anxious  to  interest  us  in  his 
people.  In  the  twelfth  century  Benjamin,  of  Judea, 
found  about  one  thousand  adherents  of  the  sect  of  the 
Samaritans  at  this  place.  At  that  period  there  were 
also  a  few  of  them  at  Ascalon,  Caesarea  and  Damascus. 
We  learned  that  there  were  now  only  some  forty  or 
fifty  families  in  all,  and  that  their  numbers  were  con- 
stantly decreasing.  They  live  here  in  a  distinct  quar- 
ter of^he  town  to  themselves.  It  may  not  be  uninter- 
esting to  the  reader  to  learn  something  of  the  religious 
views  and  practices  of  this  old  sect  that  seems  to  be 
gradually  fading  from  the  earth.  Not  many  years 
hence  they  will  be  spoken  of  as  a  people  who  once 
lived  in  Palestine,  but  who  have  now  passed  away  with 
the  flight  of  time. 

The  Samaritans  are  strict  monotheists,  and  abjpr  all 
images  and  all  expressions  whereby  human  atdpbutes 
are  ascri  bed  to  God.  They  believe  in  good  and  evil 
spirits,  in  a  resurrection  and  last  judgment^  They 
expect  a  Messiah  to  appear  six  thousand  years wfter  the 
creation  of  the  world,  but  they  do  not  think  he  will  be 
greater  than  Moses.  Of  the  Old  Testament  they  possess 
the  Pentateuch  only.  They  claim  that  the  copy  they 
have  is  one  of  five  made  by  the  grandson  of  Aaron. 
Three  times  a  year,  that  is,  at  the  Feast  of  Unleavened 
Bread,  the  Feast  of  Weeks,and  the  Feast  of  the  Passover, 
they  pitch  their  tents  on  Mt.  Gerizim  and  celebrate 
these  feasts.  "While  they  celebrate  all  the  Mosaic 


460  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

festivals,  it  is  only  at  the  Feast  of  the  Passover  that 
they  offer  sacrifices."  If  a  Samaritan  dies,  his  nearest 
akin,  but  not  his  brother,  as  prescribed  in  the  book  of 
Leviticus,  is  bound  to  marry  his  widow.  Bigamy  is 
prohibited  unless  the  first  wife  be  childless. 

The  summit  of  Mt.  Gerizim  consists  of  a  large  pla- 
teau extending  north  and  south.  At  the  north  end  we 
find  the  fallen  down  remains  of  what  was  once  a  large 
stone  building  or  castle.  It  is  thought  this  immense 
castle  which  encloses  a  large  area,  with  walls  from  five 
to  ten  feet  in  thickness,  composed  of  hewn  stone,  was 
erected  during  the  time  of  Justinian,  i.  e.,  during  the 
6th  century.  A  little  below  the  castle  walls  to  the 
south,  some  massive  substructions  are  shown  jis  the 
stones  of  the  altar  which  Joshua  is  said  to  have  erected 
here.  The  scriptures,  however,  locate  this  altar  on  Mt. 
Ebal,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley.  The  scriptures 
read  as  follows :  "  Then  Joshua  built  an  altar  unto  the 
Lord  God  of  Israel  in  Mt.  Ebal,"  and  this  is  the  place, 
i.  e.,  Mt.  Ebal,  where  Moses  commanded  the  children 
before  crossing  the  Jordan,  that  they  should  build  this 
altar,  and  he  told  them  that  it  should  be  made  of  whole 
stone,  that  they  should  not  lift  any  tool  of  iron  upon 
them,  that  it  should  be  plastered,  and  that  they  should 
write  upon  them  "  All  the  words  of  this  law,"  the  law 
he  was  then  giving  them. 

The  whole  surface  of  the  plateau  on  Gerizim  seems 
to  have  been  at  one  time  covered  with  buildings.  We 
find  portions  of  walls,  cisterns  and  here  and  there 
pavements,  running  in  different  directions,  all  of  which 
indicate  that  a  town  or  city  covered  the  plateau  at  one 
time. 

I  think' it  reasonable  to  conclude  that  when  Abram 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  461 

passed  through  Shechem  and  erected  an  altar  there 
or  near  there,  the  city  stood  upon  the  heights  of 
Gerizim.  In  those  olden  days  cities  were  built  upon 
the  highest  hills  or  mountains,  as  they  were  much  more 
easily  defended  than  when  in  a  valley.  "We  find 
when  Rome  was  built  it  was  placed  on  the  summits  of 
her  seven  hills,  Athens  upon  the  Acropolis,  Corinth 
was  on  an  acropolis.  Jebus  was  thought  to  be  impreg- 
nable by  the  Jebusites  on  account  of  its  location.  I 
might  mention  many  others  if  necessary.  The  Romans 
seldom  moved  the  site  of  a  city  taken  by  conquest,  and 
it  may  be  that  much  of  the  ruins  now  seen  upon  Geri- 
zim reach  no  farther  back  than  to  the  Roman  occupa- 
tion of  Palestine. 

Near  the  center  of  the  plateau  the  Samaritans  point 
out  a  projecting  stone  as  having  once  been  the  site  of 
the  altar  of  their  temple. 

From  the  top  of  this  mountain  we  see,  looking  east, 
the  mountains  of  Gilead  in  the  distance ;  looking  north, 
old  Hermon;  westward,  the  hills  and  valleys  slope 
away  to  the  blue  band  of  the  distant  Mediterranean. 

Mt.  Ebal  is  a  higher  mountain  than  Gerizim,  it  being 
2,986  feet  above  sea  level.  Its  ascent  is  even  more 
difficult  than  Gerizim.  A  fine  view  is  said  to  be 
obtained  from  its  summit.  I  did  not  go  upon  Ebal,  as  up 
and  down  Gerizim  satisfied  me,  as  it  did  our  company, 
for  one  day  at  least.  These  are  the  two  mountains 
from  which  Moses  commanded  that  the  curses  and 
blessings  should  be  read  to  the  children  of  Israel,  which 
was  done  as  he  commanded. 

On  a  hill  to  the  north  of  Ebal  once  laid  the  city  of 
Tirzah.  "We  read  that  in  the  twenty-sixth  year  of  the 
reign  of  Asa  king  of  Judah,  Elah  the  son  of  Baasha, 


4:62  TBAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

began  to  reign  over  Israel  in  Tirzah.  We  are  further 
told  that  before  he  had  enjoyed  his  royal  honors  long, 
his  servant,  Zimri,  who  was  captain  of  half  his  chariots, 
concluded  that  he  would  like  to  be  king  over  Israel  him 
self  for  a  while.  Let  me  say  just  here,  if  Elan  had  lived 
in  this  the  19th  century  A.  D.  instead  of  the  10th  cen- 
tury B.  C.,  one  would  conclude  that  he  had  perhaps 
traveled  over  America  and  contracted  some  one  or  more 
of  our  American  habits,  for  it  is  said  Zimri  found  him 
in  the  house  of  the  steward  (of  his  own  house)  in 
Tirzah  drinking  himself  drunk,  and  killed  him  and 
reigned  in  his  stead. 

Some  reader  of  these  pages  may  think  and  say  that 
I  am  saying  a  hard  thing  of  my  own  countrymen,  and 
casting  an  unjust  reflection  upon  them  as  a  people.  In 
answer  to  this  I  will  say,  this  but  accords  with  our 
reputation.  I  am  the  last  man  in  the  world  that  would 
rob  my  countrymen  of  their  well-earned  reputation.  I 
believe  we  are  regarded  as  a  proud,  independent,  intelli- 
gent, law-abiding,  fun-loving,  whisky-drinking  people. 
In  justification  of  the  above  remark  I  will  say,  I  see  in 
my  own  city  of  fifteen  thousand  inhabitants  more 
whisky-drinking  in  one  month  than  I  saw  in  four 
months  of  travel  in  foreign  countries.  In  fact,  during 
all  my  travels  in  those  distant  lands  I  never  saw  a  single 
man  under  the  influence  of  intoxicants  until  I  reached 
London  on  my  return ;  notwithstanding,  I  was  on 
three  continents,  and  among  people  who  are  regarded 
as  heathens. 

Nabulus,  orNablaus,  has  a  population  of  ten  or  twelve 
thousand.  There  are  about  six  hundred  orthodox 
Greeks,  a  few  Jews,  some  one  hundred  and  forty  or  one 
hundred  and  fifty  Samaritans,  also  a  few  Latins  and 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  463 

• 

Protestants,  but  the  bulk  of  the  population  are  Arabs, 
and  Mohammedans  of  course.  The  environs  o'f  this 
place  are  "  beautifully  green  and  extremely  fertile," 
and  finely  watered.  Large,  fine,  bold  springs  may  be 
seen  in  every  direction  bursting  out  from  beneath  the 
adjacent  mountains.  Beautiful  streams  of  water  run 
through  all  the  streets.  Nabulus  boasts  of  twenty-two 
soap  manufactories.  It  is  manufactured  alone  for 
exportation,  however,  none  being  reserved  for  home  con- 
sumption. I  think  this  people  have  'a'hereditary  aver- 
sion to  soap  and  water.  _Or  it  may  be  that,  like  some  of 
our  christi?,n  sects,  they  have  religious  scruples  in  regard 
to  the  use  of  too  much  water?) My  intercourse  with  these  ') 
Arabs  convinces  me  that  in  one  regard  they  are  like 
another  Christian  sect  quite  numerous  in  our  own  coun- 
try, in  this,  they  don't  like  vfor,  any  one  (especially 
strangers)  to  eat  and  drink  witn  them.  They  esteem 
it  exclusively  a  family  or  church  privilege. 

In  the  eastern  part  of  the  town  we  entered  a  mosque 
which  was  originally  a  church  of  the  Crusaders  dedi- 
cated to  St.  John,  and  probably  afterwards  belonged  to 
the  Knights  of  St.  John. 

On  the  southeast  side  of  the  town  is  another  mosque, 
which  is  said  to  stand  on  the  spot  where  Joseph's  coat 
was  brought  by  his  brethren  to  their  father  Jacob 
The  Samaritans  have  a  synagogue  here  and  perform 
their  religious  services  in  the  Samaritan  dialect.  The 
office  of  high  priest  is  hereditary,  and  the  present  high 
priest,  Amran,  claims  to  be  a  descendant  of  the  tribe 
of  Levi.  The  copy  of  the  Pentateuch  which  these 
Samaratins  have  is  certainly  a  very  ancient  document ;  . 
it  is  kept  in  a  tin  or  metal  box  and  is  never  taken  out 
except  it  be  placed  behind  a  curtain,  and  when  taken 


464        .  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

out  all  press  forward  to  kiss  it.  We, had  in  our  com- 
pany a  lad  some  twelve  or  fourteen  years  old  who 
went  behind  the  curtain  to  see  it.  Amran  said  he 
was  the  first  child  or  lad  that  was  ever  permitted  to 
see  it.  Some  one  of  the  company  asked  the  high  priest 
if  it  was  written  in  Hebrew  ?  He  rather  indignantly 
replied,  "  No,  it  is  written  in  the  language  of  Moses. " 
I  am  pretty  sure  if  Moses  claimed  any  language  as 
peculiarly  his  own,  it  was  the  Hebrew,  for  by  birth  he 
was  a  Hebrew.  It  is  true  he  was  raised  in  Egypt  and 
educated  with  Kameses  II,  perhaps  at  Heliopolis,  and  of 
course  was  familiar  with  the  Egyptian  language.  "We 
also  know  that  he  was  familiar  with  the  Greek  and 
Roman,  and  perhaps  other  languages.  I  imagine,  how 
ever,  that  this  copy  of  the  Pentateuch  was  written  in 
Hebrew,  Amran  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

The  ruins  of  the  old  city  of  Samaria  lie  some  six  or 
eight  miles  northwest  of  Nabulus.  Tlie  road  runs  along 
the  eastern  border  of  a  lovely  valley,  at  the  foot  of  the 
hills  which  bound  the  valley  on  the  east.  Now  an  d 
then  we  cross  over  a  spur  of  the  hills  which  project  into 
the  valley.  Villages  are  more  numerous  in  this  part  of 
the  country.  The  peasants  live  in  villages  and  till  the 
valley  lands.  "We  daily  meet  these  tillers  of  the  soil, 
either  going  to  or  returning  from  their  farms.  They 
lash  their  long-beam  one-handle  plows  on  the  back  of 
the  donkeys  and  walk  behind  them,  never  in  front. 
You  can  drive  a  donkey,  but  you  can't  lead  him.  The 
donkey  is  very  unlike  the  human  kind  in  this  respect. 
Both  men  and  women  can  be  led,  but  not  driven.  One 
of  the  most  dominant,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  unex- 
ceptionable characteristics  of  the  whole  donkey  family, 
whether  they  have  two  or  four  legs,  is  stubbornness. 


I 


RETURNING  FUOM  THE  FIELD. 


AND   THE   HOLT    LAND.  465 

We  see  no  fences  or  farmhouses  here,  no  barns  or  out- 
houses, no  gardens.  Around  some  of  the  villages  we 
find  the  orchards  enclosed  with  cactus  hedges,  or  stone 
fences.  The  houses  in  which  these  people  live  are  miser- 
able substitutes  for  residences ;  low,  squatty,  filthy  pens 
made  of  sun  dried  brick,  sod,  or  rough  piled  stone, 
roofed  in  with  straw,  or  old  mats,  or  sorghum  stalks, 
arranged  so  as  to  leave  a  hole  in  the  center  for  the 
smoke  to  go  through. 

When  we  ride  through  the  narrow,  filthy  alleys  of 
one  of  these  Arab  villages,  old  women,  children  and 
dogs  come  pouring  out  of  these  dens  by  the  scores. 
The  women,  filthy,  ragged  and  haggard :  the  children, 
with  filth  encrusted  on  their  faces,  unkempt,  uncombed, 
half-naked,  and  mangy  dogs,  all  inhabit  the  same  one- 
room  dwelling. 

Now,  this  is  not  an  overdrawn  or  exaggerated  picture 
of  the  peasants,  their  houses  and  their  mode  of  living. 
It  is  just  what  we  see  in  every  Arab  village,  both  in, 
Egypt  and  throughout  all  Palestine.  These  are  the 
people  who  occupy  the  country  given  to  Abraham  and 
his  posterity,  a  country  of  untold  resources,  a  pictur- 
esque country,  a  country  susceptible  of  being  made  an 
earthly  paradise;  indeed,  a  country  abounding  in  fertile 
valleys,  rich  rolling  ridges,  extensive  plateaus,  and 
mountain  sides  unsurpassed  for  fertility,  abundant  water 
power,  and  springs  of  pure  cold  water  on  every  side. 

Man  could  wish  for  no  more  desirable  country  than 
this.  I  know  of  no  country  with  more  natural 
resources  and  facilities  for  man's  habitation  than  Pal- 
estine. 

Zimri,  having  killed  Elah,  king  of  the  northern 
empire,  and  having  burned  the  king's  palace,  Omri, 


466  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

his  successor,  purchased  a  hill  from  one  Shemer,  and 
erected  upon  it  a  residence  for  himself  which  he  called 
Shomeron,  or  Samaria,  after  the  prior  owner  of  the 
hill.  Omri  had  reignqd  over  Israel  six  years  before  he 
purchased  this  hill,  and  his  reign  extended  six  years 
longer.  After  his  death  Ahab,  his  son,  became  king 
over  Israel. 

We  have  reason  to  infer,  from  the  writings  of 
Isaiah,  that  this  part  of  the  northern  empire  was  for 
a  long  time  the  center  of  idolatrous  worship.  This 
writer  says :  "  And  all  the  people  shall  know,  even 
Ephraim  and  the  inhabitants  of  Samaria,  that  in  the 
pride  and  stoutness  of  heart,  the  bricks  are  fallen 
down,  but  we  will  build  with  hewn  stone.  The  syca- 
mores are  cut  down,  but  we  will  change  them  into 
cedars.  Therefore,  the  Lord  shall  set  up  the  adver- 
saries of  Kezin  against  him  and  join  his  enemies 
together,  the  Syrians  before,  and  the  Philistines 
.behind,  and  they  shall  devour  Israel  with  open 
mouth." 

Samaria  continued  to  be  the  capital  of  the  northern 
empire  until  722  B.  C.  This  fact  is  learned  from 
Assyrian  monuments,  at  which  time  it  was  besieged 
three  years  by  Sargon,  king  of  Assyria,  722  to  725 
B.  C.,  and  finally  taken  and  destroyed.  We  find  it, 
however,  rebuilt  and  a  strongly  fortified  city,  in  the 
time  of  Maccabees.  We  learn  that  it  was  again 
beseiged  for  a  year,  captured  and  destroyed  by 
Hyrcanus,  son  of  Simon  Maccabeus,  a  high  priest  of 
the  Jews. 

Pompey  included  Samaria  in  the  province  of  Syria. 
It  was  then  rebuilt  and  presented  by  Augustus  to 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  467 

Herod  the  Great,  who  caused  it  to  be  handsomely 
rebuilt  and  fortified. 

Samaria  was  built  upon  an  isolated  hill  standing 
alone  in  an  extensive  valley,  rising  fifteen  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  above  the  sea  level,  and  six  hundred 
above  the  surrounding  valley.  This  hill  is  about  a 
mile  long  and  about  half  that  in  width,  and  you  have 
but  to  ride  over  and  around  it  to  learn  that  at  one 
time  it  was  terraced  from  bottom  to  top  and  covered 
with  palaces,  temples  and  other  magnificent  buildings. 

On  the  south  side  we  find  either  standing  or  lying  on 
the  ground  where  they  once  stood  a  row  of  stone 
columns  sixteen  feet  high  without  their  capitols, 
extending  a  thousand  yards  in  length,  sweeping  with 'a 
gradual  curve  the  base  of  the  hill.  As  we  ride  along  by 
the  side  of  these  columns  we  reach,  at  the  west  extremity 
of  the  hill,  the  site  of  the  gate  of  the  city,  where  it  is 
said  the  four  lepers  on  entering  the  gate  said,  one  to 
another  :  "  "Why  sit  here  until  we  die  ?  "  Ben-hadad, 
king  of  Syria,  had  the  city  besieged  until  the  inhab- 
itants were  starving.  It  is  said  in  the  scriptures  of  that 
time  that  the  women  were  killing  their  children  and 
cooking  them  for  food,  and  that  a  donkey's  head  sold 
for  fourscore  pieces  of  silver,  and  a  cob  of  dove's  dung 
for  five  pieces  of  silver.  This  last  was  a  cheap  article 
of  food,  and  called  "dove's  dung"  from  its  resemblance 
to  the  excrement  of  the  dove. 

These  lepers  concluded  that  if  they  went  into  the 
city  they  would  die,  and  if  they  stayed  outside  the  gate 
they  could  but  die,  so  they  concluded  to  go  into  the 
camp  of  the  Syrians,  saying  that  they  could  but  be  killed, 
and  if  theSy  rians  didn't  kill  them  that  they  could  perhaps 
get  something  to  eat.  When  they  reached  the  uttermost 


468  TBAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

part  of  the  encampment  they  found  not  a  man,  "  for 
the  Lord  had  made  the  Syrians  to  hear  a  noise  like  the 
advance  of  a  mighty  army  of  chariots  and  horses,"  etc. 
And  the  whole  army  fled,  leaving  their  tents,  horses, 
donkeys,  commissary  stores,  and  all  their  camping 
outfit. 

These  lepers  were  in  good  luck  that  time.  Elijan 
had  told  the  king's  messengers  that  on  the  morrow  a 
measure  of  fine  flour  should  be  sold  for  a  sheckle,  and 
two  measures  of  barley  for  a  sheckle  in  the  gate  of  the 
city.  I  think  the  walls  of  the  city  have  been  rebuilt 
from  time  to  time  on  the  same  old  foundation  without 
much  change,  and  the  gate  in  all  probability  has 
retained  its  ancient  location. 

But  I  must  finish  my  pen  picture  of  the  site  of 
Samaria.  As  I  have  before  stated,  this  hill  is  fifteen 
hundred  and  fifty-four  feet  above  the  sea  level,  and  the 
plateau  on  the  top  is  six  hundred  feet  above  the  mag- 
nificent fertile  valley  which  is  spread  out  before  it  in 
all  directions,  except  on  the  east.  The  east  end  is  nar- 
row and  connects  this  hill  with  the  hills  on  the  east  by 
a  low,  narrow  ridge.  The  hill  is  oval  in  shape  and 
covers  an  area  of  ground  equal  to  three  hundred  or 
three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land.  It  is  terraced 
up  in  such  manner  as  to  give  more  building  room  than 
could  be  otherwise  obtained. 

I  don't  think  I  ever  saw  a  more  beautiful  location 
for  a  small  city  than  this.  In  every  direction  except 
on  the  east  it  could  be  seen  for  miles  looking  like  a 
castle  in  the  air.  It  must  have  presented  a  grand  and 
beautiful  appearance  after  having  been  built  up  and 
ornamented  by  Herod. 

The  valley  on  the  northeast  of  the  hill  is  much  lower 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  469 

than  it  is  on  the  south  and  the  west  and  southwest. 
At  the  northern  side  of  the  hill  stood  the  palace  of 
Herod  on  a  large  terraced  plateau.  The  whole  plateau, 
which  is  some  five  or  six  acres  in  area,  is  now  covered 
with  broken  columns  and  other  remains  of  the  immense 
stone  castle  which  ornamented  this  site.  There  is  no 
spring  or  fountain  on  the  hill,  and  during  the  long 
sieges  which  its  inhabitants  have  endured  from  time  to 
time  they  must  have  been  supplied  with,  water  from 
cisterns.  Southeast  of  Samaria  a  short  distance  is  a 
fine  spring,  and  a  little  farther  on  in  the  same  direction 
is  a  brook  coming  into  the  valley  from  the  hills.  The 
inhabitants  would  be  cut  off  from  these,  however,  by  a 
besieging  army. 

It  has  been  suggested,  and  I  think  with  good  reason, 
that  as  Samaria  was  a  celebrated  place  a  thousand 
years  before  Herod's  time,  he  used  the  material  which 
he  found  there  for  the  buildings  he  caused  to  be 
erected.  On  the  top  of  the  hill  is  a  level  plat  of  land 
and  here  may  be  found  a  group  of  sixteen  large  col- 
umns, some  standing,  others  fallen  down.  It  is 
thought  that  the  great  temple  of  Baal  stood  here. 

The  most  important  building  or  ancient  edifice  at 
Samaria  at  this  time  is  the  half  ruined  church  of  St. 
John.  It  is  now  converted  into  a  Mohammedan 
mosque. 

There  is  a  tradition,  first  mentioned  by  St.  Jerome, 
that  St.  John  the  Baptist  was  buried  here.  This  church, 
judging  from  the  style  of  architecture,  was  evidently 
built  by  the  Crusaders.  Obadiah,  the  governor  of 
Ahab's  house,  is  also  said  to  be  buried  at  this  church. 
I  think  it  is  very  probable  that  Obadiah  was  buried  in 
Samaria  or  somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of  it.  It  is  also 


4:70  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

said  to  be  the  resting-place  of  Elisha.  At  the  west 
extremity  of  the  hill  is  a  large  level  plat  of  ground 
supported  by  a  terrace.  Upon  this  spot  of  ground 
stands  a  dozen  or  more  handsome  columns.  Here 
probably  stood  the  temple  which  Herod  the  Great  is 
said  to  have  erected  in  honor  of  Augustus.  Ahab  had 
an  ivory  palace  at  Samaria,  and  also  a  palace  at 
Jezreel. 

Just  before  we  reached  the  ruins  of  this  old  city  we 
crossed  over  a  ridge  of  land  which  projected  from  the 
hills  on  our  right  into  the  valley.  This  is  pointed  out 
as  the  vineyard  which  belonged  to  Naboth  (it  is  said 
to  have  embraced  that  gravelly  ridge  of  land)  which  old 
Ahab  coveted,  and  because  Naboth  wouldn't  exchange 
it  with  him  nor  sell  it  to  him  he  went  to  bed  and 
turned  his  face  to  the  wall  and  refused  to  eat  bread. 
Jezebel,  seeing  him  so  sad,  asked  him  what  troubled 
him,  and  he  told  her.  Jezebel  (his  wife)  told  Ahab  to 
get  up  and  eat,  and  let  his  heart  be  merry.  "  I'll  give 
you  Naboth's  vineyard,"  she  said.  A  mean  thing  that 
a  mean  woman  can't  do  just  can't  be  done,  that's  all. 

God  made  women  better  than  men  and  constituted 
them  by  nature  to  occupy  a  more  elevated  plane  of 
moral  purity.  But  when  one  topples  off  this  higher 
plane  and  begins  to  sink,  the  depths  of  degradation  to 
which  she  descends  is  marvellous.  This  woman  was 
totally  destitute  of  every  virtue  which  characterizes  the 
female  sex.  And  yet  civilized  lands  furnish  a  per  cent. 
(I  won't  say  a  large  per  cent.,  for  I  can't  think  the  per 
cent,  large)  of  just  such  characters. 

See  how  this  old  virago  went  to  work  to  steal  this 
poor  man's  vineyard.  She  wrote  letters  and  forged 
Ahab's  name  to  them  and  used  his  royal  seal,  and  sent 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  471 

them  to  the  nobles  and  elders  of  the  city  in  which 
Naboth.  lived,  and  instructed  them  to  proclaim  a  fast 
and  set  Naboth  on  high  among  the  people,  and  put  two 
sons  of  Belial  before  him  to  bear  witness  against  him, 
that  is,  to  accuse  him  of  blaspheming  God  and  the 
king,  "  and  for  this,  take  him  out  and  stone  him  to 
death. " 

Now,  reader,  you  may  think  this  old  murderess  the 
basest  woman  that  ever  lived,  but  not  so.  There  are 
many  Jezebels  in  the  world  now.  From  my  observa- 
tion in  the  world  I  regard  women  as  being  far  better 
than  men,  but  a  real  dog  mean  woman  is  meaner  than 
old  Nick  himself. 

We  learn  that  Ahab's  minions,  these  elders  and 
nobles,  did  as  Mrs.  Ahab  wrote  them  and  killed  Naboth 
and  sent  her  word.  We  know  from  this  that  they 
knew  the  letters  were  forgeries.  They  knew  also  that 
old  Ahab  dared  not  call  his  hat  his  own,  and  more, 
that  she  would  protect  them  from  harm  in  taking  the 
life  of  this  innocent  man.  But  see  how  the  matter 
turned  out.  Stolen  property  never  does  the^thief  much 
good.  The  Lord  sent  Elijah  up  that  way  and  told  him 
to  go  and  "  meet  Ahab,  king  of  Israel,  which  is  in 
Samaria  ;  you  will  find  him  in  the  vineyard  of  Naboth, 
the  Jezrelite.  Speak  to  him  and  say,  Thus  sayeth  the 
Lord,  Hast  thou  killed  and  also  taken  possession  ? "  I 
imagine  that  sounded  like  thunder  to  this  old  thief. 
"  And  say  further  that  in  the  place  where  dogs  licked 
the  blood  of  Naboth  shall  dogs  lick  your  blood,  even 
yours.  "  I  wonder  how  the  old  fellow  felt  just  then  ? 
It  would  be  in  keeping  with  such  a  man  to  curse  his 
wife  for  doing  what  he  wanted  her  to  do,  and  what  he 
knew  she  was  doing  when  she  did  it,  because  their 


472  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

plot  of  murder  and  robbery  did  not  pan  out  well  in  the 
end.  When  this  "  thus  sayeth  the  Lord"  sounded  in  his 
ears  he  said  to  Elijah:  "  Hast  thou  then  found  me,  O 
mine  enemy  \ "  Elijah  answered:  "I  have  found  thee, 
and  I  will  bring  evil  upon  thee  and  thy  posterity  and 
make  thy  house  like  the  house  of  Jeroboam,  the  son 
of  Nebat,  and  Baasha,  and  as  for  your  wife  Jezebel,  the 
dogs  shall  eat  her  by  the  wall  of  Jezreel." 

Sad  ending  this.  A  king  and  queen  to  be  ignomini- 
ously  slain  and  eaten  by  dogs  as  a  public  condemnation 
by  the  creator  of  their  miserable,  wicked,  misspent 
lives. 

"What  shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole 
world  and  lose  his  own  soul?"  The  predictions  of 
Elijah  in  regard  to  the  death  of  this  wicked  king  and 
Jezebel  were  literally  fulfilled.  Ahab  was  wounded  in 
battle  and  brought  to  Samaria,  where  he  died  and  was 
buried.  When  the  blood  was  being  washed  out  of  his 
chariot  the  dogs  licked  up  his  blood.  And  Jezebel 
was  thrown  from  the  window  of  her  house  in  Jezreel, 
by  order  of  Jehu,  and  her  flesh  eaten  by  the  dogs. 
Their  wicked  lives  ended  as  had  been  predicted  by 
the  prophet  of  the  Lord. 

It  was  here  that  Naaman,  captain  of  the  host  of  the 
king  of  Syria,  came  and  brought  a  letter  to  Jehoram, 
king  of  Israel,  from  the  king  of  Syria,  requesting  him 
to  cure  him  of  leprosy.  When  Jehoram  read  the  let- 
ter he  rent  his  clothes  and  said:  "  Am  I  God  to  kill  and 
to  make  alive  that  this  man  doth  send  unto  me  to 
recover  a  man  of  his  leprosy  ? "  Jehoram  concluded 
that  the  king  of  Syria  was  seeking  a  quarrel  with  him. 

When  Elisha  heard  that  the  king  had  rent  his  clothes 
he  sent  word  to  the  king  to  send  the  man  to  him,  that 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  473 

he  would  let  him  know  that  there  was  a  prophet  in 
Israel. 

It  appears  that  Elisha  was  living  at  Samaria  at  this 
time,  "  And  Naaman  had  his  chariot  driven  to  the  door 
of  Elisha's  house." 

Naaman  expected  Elisha  to  come  out  of  his  house  and 
stand  and  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  his  God. 
Instead  of  toadying  to  this  man's  self-esteem,  however, 
Elisha  sent  a  messenger  to  him  telling  him  to  go  and 
wash  in  Jordan  seven  times,  and  his  flesh  should  come 
again  and  he  should  be  clean."  Naaman  became 
angry  at  this  and  said  :  "  Are  not  the  Abana  and  Pbar- 
par  rivers  of  Damascus  better  than  all  the  waters  of 
Israel  ?  May  I  not  wash  in  them  and  be  clean  ?  "  So 
he  turned  and  went  away  in  a  rage.  Naaman's  servant 
asked  him  if  the  prophet  had  told  him  to  do  some  great 
thing  would  he  not  have  done  it  ?  "  How  much  rather 
then  when  he  told  you  to  wash  and  be  clean  ?" 

Naaman  acted  very  honorably  about  the  matter  how- 
ever, for  he  went  down  and  did  as  Elisha  bid  him,  and 
when  he  found  himself  cured  he  came  back  and  stood 
before  Elisha  and  told  him  :  "  Behold  now,  I  know  that 
there  is  no  God  in  all  the  earth  but  in  Israel." 

Naaman  then  offered  to  pay  Elisha  for  curing  him. 
Now,  reader,  it  isn't  every  one  that  feels  as  grateful 
for  services  rendered  as  this  man  did ;  doctors  know 
this.  Elisha,  however,  refused  to  accept  his  presents. 
But  Gehazi,  his  servant,  couldn't  resist  the  temptation 
of  securing  something  for  himself.  So  he  ran  after 
Kaaman's  chariot,  and  when  he  came  up  with  him  he 
told  a  lie  to  get  Naaman  to  give  him  money  and  cloth- 
ing. When  he  returned  Elisha  made  him  a  leper  as  a 


474:  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

punishment  for  his  lying  and  dishonorable  conduct  on 
this  occasion. 

"We  learn  from  the  scriptures  that  on  one  occasion 
Philip  came  up  to  this  city  of  Samaria  and  preached 
Christ  to  the  people. 

After  looking  over  the  ruins  of  this  ancient  capital 
of  Israel,  we  rode  across  the  hills  and  valleys  in  a 
northeasterly  direction,  and  about  mid-day  reached  our 
lunch  tent  pitched  near  the  site  of  old  Dothan.  Sama- 
ria, it  will  be  remembered,  is  some  five  or  six  miles 
from  Shechem,  and  Dothan  about  the  same  distance 
from  Samaria. 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

A  LL  this  portion  of  Palestine  is  a  perfect  network 
JL-L  of  hills  and  vales  covered  with  groves  of  flourish- 
ing olive  trees,  interspersed  with  orchards  of  apricot, 
almond  and  fig.  It  is  not  only  a  pretty  country,  but 
exceedingly  fertile  and  well  watered.  Admit  that 
many  of  the  bold  springs  which  we  are  passing  every 
half  mile  or  mile  dry  up  in  summer,  as  is  stated  by 
some  writers,  still  we  find  cisterns  and  pools  near  and 
along  the  course  of  the  brooks  into  which  the  flowing 
streams  can  be,  and  no  doubt  are,  conducted  to  be  filled 
before  the  droughty  season  sets  in.  These  cisterns  and 
pools  are  numerous,  and  supply  the  people  and  their 
flocks  with  an  abundance  of  water  during  the  summer 
and  autumn. 

Dothan  was  located  on  a  beautiful  hill,  at  the  foot  of 
which  is  a  fine  bold  spring.  Like  most  of  the  sites  of 
these  old  scriptural  towns,  it  is  now  occupied  by  the 
miserable  little  rugged  huts  of  the  Arab  farmers. 

Elisha,  it  appears,  was  residing  here  on  that  memor- 
able occasion,  when  the  king  of  Syria  came  down  into 
Canaan  with  a  large  army,  to  make  war  on  Israel.  We 
read  "  that  the  king  of  Syria  warred  against  Israel  and 
took  council  with  his  servants  as  to  where  he  should 
camp  from  time  to  time."  I  understand  from  the 
reading  that  the  king  counciled  with  his  servants,  or 
perhaps  the  commanders  of  the  divisions  of  his  army, 
at  what  localities  or  places  they  might  expect  to  find 
the  king  of  Israel  and  his  army  and  give  him  battle,  or 

475 


476  TEAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

to  get  their  opinion  as  to  which  were  the  most  favor- 
able strategic  points  to  engage  the  enemy. 

Elisha  having  informed  the  king  of  Israel  of  the  vari- 
ous moves  and  intentions  or  expectations  of  the  king  of 
Syria,  he  was  enabled  thereby  to  evade  him  and  to 
thwart  his  purposes  at  every  turn.  The  king  of  Israel 
saved  himself  on  several  occasions  by  the  information 
thus  furnished  by  the  prophet. 

It  became  apparent  to  the  king  of  Syria  that  some 
one  was  informing  the  king  of  Israel  of  his  movements. 
And  he  thought  it  likely  that  it  was  some  one  con- 
nected with  his  own  army,  i.  e.,  that  there  was  a  spy 
in  his  camp. 

The  king  was  sorely  troubled  about  the  matter  and 
therefore  called  his  servants  and  said  to  them  :  "  "Will 
ye  not  show  me  which  of  us  is  for  the  king  of  Israel  ? " 
One  of  his  servants  answered  and  said : "  None,  my 
Lord,  O  king,  but  Elisha,  the  prophet,  that  is  in  Israel, 
telleth  the  king  of  Israel  the  words  that  thou  speaketh 
in  thy  bed-chamber." 

The  king  then  commanded  that  they  go  and  spy  out 
where  Elisha  was  that  he  might  send  and  capture  him. 

The  king  was  informed  that  he  was  at  Dothan.  He 
therefore  sent  horses  and  chariots  "  and  a  great  host, " 
and  they  came  here  by  night  and  surrounded  the  city. 

When  Elisha's  servant  was  risen  early  the  next 
morning  and  went  out  of  the  house,  he  discovered  that 
the  city  was  surrounded  with  a  great  host,  including 
horses  and  chariots.  The  servant  went  in  and  said  to 
Elisha,  his  master :  "  Alas,  my  master,  how  shall  we 
do  ? "  The  servant  thought  they  were  done  for.  Eli- 
sha answered  the  servant  and  told  him  "that  they 
that  be  for  us  are  more  than  they  that  be  for  them." 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  477 

The  prophet  then  prayed  that  the  Lord  might  open 
the  eyes  of  the  servant  that  he  might  see.  The  Lord 
opened  the  eyes  of  the  young  man  in  answer  to  Eli- 
sha'e  prayer.  "  And  behold  the  mountains  were  full  of 
horses  and  chariots  of  fire  around  about  Elisha." 

When  the  Syrian  army  moved  down  to  where  Elisha 
was,  he  prayed  unto  the  Lord  that  he  would  smite 
them  with  blindness.  "And  he  smote  them  with 
blindness,  according  to  the  word  of  Elisha." 

Then  Elisha  said  unto  them  :  "  This  is  not  the  way, 
neither  is  this  the  city.  Follow  me  and  I  will  bring 
ye  to  the  man  ye  seek.  But  he  led  them  to  Samaria." 
"When  Elisha  led  them  into  the  city,  I  imagine  he 
ordered  the  gate  shut  behind  them.  He  then  said : 
"  Lord,  open  their  eyes  that  they  may  see ; "  and  when 
the  Lord  opened  their  eyes  they  saw  they  were  in  the 
midst  of  Samaria. 

I  have  often  wondered  what  those  Syrians  thought 
and  said^when  they  saw  the  trap  the  prophet  had  led 
them  into,  and  how  nicety  they  were  caught.  No 
doubt  but  they  thought  they  would  be  put  to  death  to 
the  last  man,  and  I  imagine  they  were  even  more  sur- 
prised when  Elisha  refused  to  let  the  king  of  Israel 
smite  them,  but  instead  ordered  that  they  be  fed  and 
sent  back  to  their  master. 

Now,  reader,  in  coming  up  from  Samaria  to-day  we 
traveled  along  the  road  which  this  blinded  army,  led 
by  this  great  man  of  God,  must  have  traveled.  Was 
there  ever  such  another  march  in  the  world's  history  ? 
A  great  host  with  horses  and  chariots,  with  God's 
hand  over  their  eyes,  feeling  their  way  as  they  went, 
going  they  knew  not  whither,  "  having  eyes  yet  they 
see  not." 


478  TRAVELS  IN   EGYPT 

In  coming  along  this  road  we  see  at  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  plain,  on  an  isolated  hill,  the  Arab  village 
Sanur.  "We  learn  the  inhabitants  are  fanatical  and 
ever  ready  to  insult  and  maltreat  visitors,  so  we  gave 
it  the  go-bye.  Jeba  is  another  large  village  strongly 
located  on  the  brow  of  the  mountain. 

Dothan  seems  to  be  surrounded  by  villages,  which 
can  be  seen  standing  out  on  every  conspicuous  position, 
and  by  the  side  of  every  gushing  fountain.  If  these 
villages  were  constructed  of  brick  or  stone,  erected  with 
architectural  skill,  and  properly  laid  out  with  streets, 
parks,  etc.,  instead  of  being  what  they  are,  a  mere 
huddle  of  miserable  huts,  it  would  add  an  hundredfold 
to  the  beauty  and  picturesqueness  of  this  delightful 
country. 

This  promised  land  can  never  be  developed  and  its 
natural  resources  brought  out  as  long  as  it  is  in  the 
hands  of  this  improvident  people ;  so  long  as  God 
permits  it  to  remain  in  possession  of  this  barbarous, 
intolerant,  fanatical  race. 

Now  look  just  out  there  by  the  spring  and  you  will  see 
our  Arab  servants  taking  their  mid-day  meal.  They 
carry  with  them  bread,  and  bread  only,  thin  cakes  not 
much  thicker  than  a  knife  blade.  You  see  them  twist- 
ing off  pieces  of  this  bread,  soaking  it  in  water  and 
eating  it  with  a  relish,  laughing  and  talking  all  the 
while,  as  happy  and  jolly  a  set  of  fellows  as  can  be 
i:  and.  During  the  fruit  seasons  they  add  to  this  some 
article  of  dried  fruit,  such  as  dates,  apricots,  figs,  etc. 

When  the  tempter  came  to  our  lord   and  said,  "If 

::  be  the  son  of  God  command  these  stones  to  be 

:  bread,"  he  answered  and  said:  "  It  is  written, 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.     .  479 

Man  shall  not  live  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word 
that  proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  God." 

Now  these  fellows  seem  to  be  trying  the  experiment 
anyway  of  living  on  bread  alone.  They  can't  afford 
to  have  the  luxury  of  a  diversity  of  food,  for  their 
wages  are  only  twenty  cents  per  day,  and  out  of  this 
they  have  to  feed  themselves. 

But  here  is  our  friend,  Abu  Abraham,  who  is  the 
father  of  the  young  man  Abraham  who  rides  the  little 
grey  donkey.  His  name  tells  you  this  much.  When 
an  Arab  father  and  mother  have  a  son  born  unto  them 
they  give  him  a  name  of  course.  Then  the  parents  lose 
their  names  and  take  the  name  of  the  son.  With  us 
the  children  of  the  family  have  a  given  name,  but  add 
thereto  the  name  of  the  father.  But  not  so  with  the 
Arabs. 

Let  me  illustrate  this  Arabic  custom  by  calling  your 
attention  to  the  instance  just  mentioned.  When  this 
boy  was  named  Abraham  by  his  parents  the  father 
dropped  his  own  name  and  was  known  only  by  the 
name  of  Abdal,  or  Abu  (from  Abba,  "father") 
Abraham,  i.  e.,  the  father  of  Abraham ;  and  the 
mother  is  called  Em  or  Om  Abraham,  i.  e.,  the  mother 
of  Abraham. 

They  keep  their  tribal  names  but  not  their  family 
names,  nor  is  the  wife  of  an  Arab  called  Mrs.  so  and 
so,  but  she  is  known  and  called  by  her  maiden  name 
until  a  boy  child  is  born  unto  her,  then  she  takes  his 
name,  as  above  explained.  They  never  use  the  prefix 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  when  speaking  to  or  of  each  other,  as  is 
done  in  other  countries  and  among  other  people. 

Abu  Abraham  offers  to  show  us  the  pit  into  which 
it  is  said  Joseph's  brethren  cast  him,  and  out  of  which 


480  TRAVELS  IN   EGYPT 

they  drew  him  when  they -sold  him  to  the  Ishmael- 
ites. 

Jacob  was  at  that  time,  from  all  accounts,  living  at 
Bethel.  Joseph's  brethren  had  taken  a  dislike  to  him 
on  account  of  their  father's  partiality  for  him  and 
because  Joseph  would  now  and  then  report  to  his 
father  their  bad  conduct. 

Joseph  was  seventeen  years  old  when  the  following 
occurrences  took  place.  "  Joseph  had  two  dreams ;  the 
first  was  that  he  and  his  brethren  were  bidding  sheaves 
in  the  field,  and  lo!  Joseph's  sheaf  arose  and  stood 
upright,  and  his  brethren's  sheaves  stood  round  about 
and  made  obeisance  to  Joseph's  sheaf.  When  Joseph 
told  his  brethren  his  dream  they  said :  "  Shalt  thou 
reign  over  us,  or  shalt  thou  indeed  have  dominion  over 
us  ? "  And  they  hated  him  yet  the  more.  His  second 
dream  was  that  the  sun  and  the  moon  and  the  seven 
stars  made  obeisance  to  him. 

This  dream  he  told  to  his  father  and  to  his  brethren, 
and  his  father  rebuked  him  for  his  presumption,  as  he 
regarded  it..  We  are  told  that  his  brethren  envied  him, 
"  but  his  father  observed  the  saying. " 

It  is  not  unusual  in  Palestine  for  the  shepherds  to 
have  a  fold  near  their  pasturage  where  the}7  feed  their 
flocks  and  house  them  at  night.  We  see  all  over  Pal- 
estine where  caves  are  used  for  this  purpose. 

Old  Jacob  asked  Joseph :  "  Do  not  thy  brethren  feed 
the  flock  in  Shechem  ?  Come,  I  will  send  thee  unto 
them.  "  And  Joseph  said  :  "  Here  am  I.  " 

Then  his  father  told  him  "  to  go  and  see  if  all  was 
well  with  his  brethren  and  the  flock.  "  While  Joseph 
was  wandering  around  hunting  for  them  he  met  with 
a  man  who  told  him  they  were  up  at  Dothan.  So 


AtfD    THE    HOLY    LAND.  481 

Joseph  went  to  Dothan  and  found  them.  When  his 
brethren  saw  him  afar  off,  before  he  had  gotten  near 
them  "  they  conspired  against  him  to  slay  him."  And 
the  one  said  to  the  other :  "  Behold  this  dreamer 
cometh." 

Joseph's  brethren  concluded  that  they  would  kill  him 
and  throw  his  body  into  a  pit.  But  Reuben,  who  it 
seems  was  a  better  man  and  had  more  love  for  his  kin- 
dred than  the  others,  objected  to  killing  his  brother. 
So  it  was  agreed  that  they  would  strip  him  and  cast 
him  into  a  pit,  and  leave  him  there  to  starve. 

These  sons  of  Israel,  with  the  exception  of  Reuben, 
who  loved  Joseph  more  than  them  all,  having  willfully 
and  deliberately  made  up  their  minds  to  murder  their 
brother  by  leaving  him  to  starve  in  the  pit,  sat  down  to 
eat  their  usual  meal.  While  thus  engaged  they  saw  a 
company  of  Ishmaelites  coming  from  Gilead  with  their 
camels  laden  with  spices,  balm  and  myrrh,  carrying  it 
down  into  Egypt.  A  great  highway  from  Gilead  to 
Egypt  by  the  way  of  Dothan,  now  as  then,  winds  its 
way  up  through  the  gorges  between  the  Samaritan  hills 
to  this  place  and  on,  by  way  of  Ramleth  and  Gaza,  to 
Egypt. 

When  they  saw  the  caravan  Judah  said  to  his  breth- 
ren :  "  What  profit  is  it  if  we  slay  our  brother  and  con- 
ceal his  blood  ?  Come,  let  us  sell  him  to  the  Ishmael- 
ites. Let  us  not  slay  him,  for  he  is  our  brother  and 
our  flesh."  It  seems  from  this  remark  that  this  unnat- 
ural brother  had  a  little  conscience  and  fraternal  love 
left  in  his  cruel  breast,  which  upbraided  him  and 
caused  him  to  make  the  suggestion  or  proposition 
which  he  did  to  his  brethren. 

Judah's    suggestion    being    agreed    to,   they   drew 


482  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

Joseph  up  from  the  pit,  and  sold  him  to  the  Ishmael- 
ites  for  "  twenty  pieces  of  silver." 

These  cruel  brothers  then  killed  a  kid  and  dipped 
Joseph's  coat  in  the  blood,  and  carried  it  to  their 
father  Jacob,  to  deceive  the  old  man  and  lead  him  to 
believe  his  favorite  boy,  the  boy  of  his  old  age,  had 
been  devoured  by  some  wild  beast,  and  they  had  -the 
effrontery  to  ask  their  old  broken-hearted  father  if  it 
was  his  son's  coat  \  Just  think  to  what  depths  of 
depravity  the  human  heart  can  descend,  and  how 
unfeeling  it  can  become. 

Reuben's  conduct  shows  that  he  never  consented  to 
take  the  life  of  Joseph,  not  being  present  when  his 
brethren  drew  him  out  of  the  pit  and  sold  him  to  the 
Ishmaelites.  Being  ignorant  of  the  transaction  he  went 
back  to  the  pit,  with  the  intention  of  taking  him  out ; 
not  finding  him  there  he  rent  his  clothes,  and  when  he 
returned  to  his  brethren  he  said  :  "  The  child  is  not, 
and  I,  whither  shall  I  go  ? "  I  think  it  evident  that 
these  inhuman,  unnatural  brothers  kept  Reuben  ignor- 
ant of  what  they  had  done  with  Joseph,  and  when  he 
saw  them  kill  the  kid  and  dip  the  coat  of  Joseph  in  the 
blood  to  deceive  their  father  Jacob  he  verily  believed 
they  had  killed  him. 

Now  this  pit  into  which  water  is  now  flowing  from 
some  springs  near  by  resembles  an  old  cistern  or  reser- 
voir, prepared  for  the  purpose  of  holding  a  supply  of 
water  in  dry  weather.  At  least,  its  location  and 
appearance  would  indicate  that  it  had  been  hewn  out 
of  the  rock  for  that  purpose.  Whether  this  be  in  real- 
ity the  pit  into  which  the  boy  Joseph  was  put  or  not 
concerns  us  but  little,  for  we  know  that  it  was  a  pit 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  483 

like  unto  this,  and  the  bible  tells  us  this  circumstance 
occurred  here  at  Dothan  where  we  now  stand. 

As  our  company  are  about  ready  to  mount  their 
horses  we  must  make  ready  to  leave  this  interesting 
locality,  carrying  with  us  a  picture  of  what  it  now  is, 
and  also  what  it  has  been  in  the  days  long  gone  by.  In 
addition  to  this  I  would  have  you  ever  keep  fresh  in 
your  mind  the  picture  of  this  beautiful  type  of  our 
Lord  and  Savior,  the  rejected  of  his  brethren,  the  one 
"  who  came  unto  his  own  and  his  own  received  him 
not."  Think  of  this  rejected  brother  cast  off,  and  first 
put  into  a  pit  through  a  spirit  of  envy  and  jealousy,  to 
perish  and  die  in  solitude  and  alone.  Then  change 
the  scene  and  see  these  unnatural  brothers  barter  and 
sell  into  servitude  their  own  flesh  and  blood  for  the 
pittance  of  twenty  pieces  of  silver. 

The  love  of  greed  and  gain,  backed  by  a  jealousy 
without  a  cause,  obliterating  in  their  hearts  all  feeling 
of  affection  and  brotherly  love  for  this  young  brother, 
his  piteous  cries  to  be  permitted  to  see  his  old  father 
and  mother  again  fell  upon  deaf  ears,  his  tears  failed 
to  melt  their  hardened  hearts.  "When  we  were  at 
Jacob's  well  one  of  those  long  caravans,  just  such  as 
carried  Joseph  to  Egypt,  came  by  us  en  route  from 
Damascus  to  Jerusalem.  Change  its  location  to  this 
place  and  you  complete  the  picture  of  the  sale  of  Joseph 
by  his  brethren. 

Another  picture  I  would  have  you  to  take  with  you 
from  this  place.  It  is  also  a  real  picture  painted  nearly 
nine  hundred  years  before  the  Christian  era,  about  six 
hundred  years  after  Joseph  was  sold  and  carried  into 
Egypt  by  the  Midianite  merchants.  This  is  one  of  the 
grandest  and  yet  one  of  the  most  unique  pictures  ever 


484  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

painted  on  the  canvas  of  the  human  mind.  We  see  an 
old  Israelite  with  flowing  beard,  bent  form,  with  staff 
in  hand,  his  eyes  cast  upon  the  ground,  picking  his  way 
leisurely  along  the  gathway  that  leads  from  here  back  to 
Samaria.  He  seems  to  be  wholly  unconscious  of  the 
confusion  and  uproar  in  his  rear.  He  is  being  followed 
by  a  great  host,  a  large  army  with  chariots  and 
horses.  But  see  how  they  stumble  and  fall  about. 
One  falls  and  his  comrades  stumble  over  him.  They 
feel  their  way  like  men  walking  in  the  dark.  God  has 
blinded  them.  They  come  here  to  Dothan  to  capture 
that  old  Israelite,  that  man  of  God,  one  of  the  few  that 
walked  with  God.  In  answer  to  his  prayer,  God  has 
drawn  a  veil  over  the  eyes  of  that  great  host,  and  now 
they  follow  him  at  his  bidding.  "  The  captors  become 
the  captives."  Elisha  leads  them  back  to  Samaria  over 
the  same  pathway  we  traveled  this  forenoon. 

This  picture  teaches  us  that  "  If  God  be  for  us,  who 
can  be  against  us  ? " 

God  was  with  the  boy  Joseph,  although  rejected  by 
his  brethren.  God  was  caring  for  him,  directing  and 
shaping  his  destiny.  God  was  with  Elisha,  working  his 
purposes  and  his  will,  with  the  children  of  men. 

Our  route  from  this  point  becomes  more  and  more 
interesting,  if  one  locality  in  this  old  land  can  be  more 
interesting  than  another.  The  truth  of  the  occurrences 
related  in  the  bible,  I  mean  the  actual  fact  of  their 
occurrence  as  related  in  the  bible,  comes  home  to  us 
with  a  force  and  power  of  conviction,  as  we  bring  them 
up  with  the  identical  and  real  localities  as  witnesses, 
that  we  never  experienced  before.  Our  imagination 
stays  with  us,  as  it  were,  and  we  only  have  to  rebuild 


AND   THE    HOLY   LAND.  485 

and  repeople  these  ancient  cities  to  re-enact  the  wonder- 
ful incidents  connected  with  them. 

Soon  after  leaving  Doth  an  we  noticed  on  our  right 
a  sacred  tree  covered  with  rags  and  various  colored 
pieces  of  cloth,  votive  offerings.  From  this  locality  we 
have  a  fine  view  of  the  valley  of  Esdraelon.  A  few 
miles  further  on  we  pass  a  large  stone-built  village,  a 
rare  thing  in  this  old  land.  After  passing  this  our 
route  traverses  a  small  valley  which  leads  us  on  a  few 
miles  further  to  Engannim,  where  we  find  our  tents 
pitched  for  the  night. 

This  is  a  very  nice  town,  with  a  far  better  order  of 
buildings  than  are  ordinarily  found  in  Palestine.  It  is 
built  on  the  boundary  between  the  mountains  of  Sama- 
ria and  the  plain  of  Esdraelon.  A  town  of  two  thou- 
sand five  hundred  or  three  thousand  inhabitants. 
Water  from  an  excellent  spring  rising  on  the  east  is 
conducted  through  the  village.  In  the  environs  are 
some  productive  gardens.  "We  find  in  the  distribution  of 
the  lands  of  Canaan  by  Joshua,  among  the  cities  given 
Issachar  for  the  children  of  Issachar,  according  to  their 
families,  a  city  by  the  name  of  Engannim  was  men- 
tidhed.  This  has  been  identified  as  the  site  of  the  old 
city  of  that  name ;  a  city  of  the  Levites  within  the 
territory  of  Issachar. 

The  plain  of  Esdraelon,  on  the  outskirts  of  which  we 
are  now  encamped,  answers  to  the  ancient  plain  of 
Jezreel.  The  valley  of  Jezreel  is  properly,  however, 
the  low  ground  by  the  village  of  Jezreel,  upon  the  site 
of  which  stands  now  the  modern  Zerin.  "  In  a  wider 
sense  the  name  embraces  also  the  plain  lying  west  of 
the  Gilboa mountains  which  iscalled  the  "great  plain," 
or  the  plain  of  Megiddo  in  the  Old  Testament."  The 


48C  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

east  side  of  this  great  plain  is  the  shortest  and  lowest. 
The  fall  from  this  point  toward  the  east  is  very  per- 
ceptible to  the  unaided  eye.  The  east  end  of  the  plain 
sends  off  several  narrow  plains  or  valleys  extending  out 
into  the  mountains.  This  great  plain,  than  which  I 
never  saw  a  prettier  or  more  fertile  body  of  land,  the 
soil  being  a  red  clay  mixed  in  places  with  gravel,  is  of 
a  triangular  form,  with  its  base  running  from  Engan- 
nim  northwest  twenty-four  miles,  while  the  narrow 
end  of  the  triangle  extends  east. 

This  place,  i.  e.,  that  portion  of  it  extending  from 
Jezreel  to  the  Jordan,  is  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
below  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  upon  the  whole,  as  before 
said,  is  exceedingly  fertile.  In  places,  however,  it  is 
somewhat  marshy.  In  the  spring,  when  covered  with 
green  verdure,  it  has  the  appearance  of  a  great  green 
lake  when  seen  from  the  mountains.  Only  a  small 
portion  of  this  great  plain  was  cultivated  until  recently. 
One  of  the  Bedouin  tribes,  the  Beni  Sakhr  tribe,  claimed 
the  right  of  pasturage  over  it.  Since  about  1868  they 
have  been  excluded  from  it,  but  even  as  late  as  1875 
made  predatory  expeditions  through  the  valley. 

When  we  crossed  the  valley  of  Esdraelon  I  counted 
thirty  or  more  plowmen  in  sight,  scratching  the  soil 
with  their  one-handled  plows. 

This  plain  has  been  one  of  the  great  battle-fields  of 
this  country.  It  was  in  the  east  end  and  on  that  part 
of  the  valley  now  called  Jezreel  where  that  memorable 
battle  between  the  Philistines  and  the  Israelites  com- 
manded by  Saul  took  place. 

The  Philistines  were  encamped  at  Shunem.  We 
read  "  that  the  army  of  the  Philistines  pitched  at 
Shunem  and  the  army  of  Saul  at  Gilboa."  Now  if  the 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  487 

reader  will  get  the  topography  of  this  particular  locality 
in  the  mind  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  locating  the 
armies  and  the  battle-field. 

The  old  city  of  Jezreel  was  located  on  the  brow  of 
the  hill  bordering  the  valley  of  Jezreel ;  on  the  south, 
or  in  the  rear,  the  mountains  of  Gilboa,  the  valley  of 
Jezreel  lying  north  and  extending  east  of  the  city. 
Shunem  was  located  across  and  on  a  hill  bordering  the 
valley  on  the  north.  No  doubt  these  armies  advanced 
against  each  other  and  fought  in  the  valley  which  lay 
between  their  encampments;  the  old  city  of 
Jezreel  being  located  upon  a  spur  of  the  mountains  of 
Gilboa  which  projected  into  the  valley.  The  sight  of 
the  old  city  is  now  occupied  by  one  of  the  filthiest 
of  Arab  villages  to  be  found,  called  Zerin. 

When  Saul  saw  what  a  host  of  the  Philistines  were 
arrayed  against  him  he  became  alarmed  at  the  thought 
of  the  result  of  an  engagement,  and  we  learn  he  sought 
the  Lord,  but  the  Lord  wouldn't  answer  him,  neither 
by  dream  nor  by  Urim  nor  by  prophets. 

Urim  and  Thummim  were  some  kind  of  ornaments  or 
inscriptions  which  Aaron  was  commanded  to  put  in 
the. breastplate  of  judgment.  I  am  inclined  to  believe 
it  an  inscription,  for  at  the  same  time  and  in  the  same 
manner  he  was  commanded  to  bear  the  names  of  the 
children  of  Israel  in  the  breastplate  upon  his  heart. 
As  the  Lord  would  not  hear  Saul  he  inquired  of  his 
servants  where  a  woman  could  be  found  having  a  famil- 
iar spirit  that  he  might  enquire  of  her.  His  servants 
told  him  there  was  one  at  Endor.  Endor  was  some  six 
miles  northeast  of  Shunim.  So  Saul  disguised  himself  by 
putting  on  other  garments,  and  taking  two  soldiers  with 
him  went  by  night  to  see  this  old  woman.  From  the 


488  TRAVELS  IN    EGXTT 

position  Saul's  army  occupied  he  had  to  make  a  con- 
siderable circuit  in  order  to  reach  Endor  without 
detection.  When  Saul  reached  her  house  he  said  to 
the  woman:  "Bring  me  him  up  whom  I  shall  name 
unto  thee."  Saul  being  disguised,  this  old  necromancer 
thought  the  man  was  putting  up  a  job  on  her  to  induce 
her  to  show  her  power  in  this  particular,  as  proof  that 
she  belonged  to  the  class  whom  King  Saul  himself  had 
ordered  to  be  "cut  off,"  i.  e..  killed.  So  she  answered 
and  said :  "  Behold  thou  knoweth  what  Saul  hath  done, 
how  he  hath  cut  off  those  that  hath  familiar  spirits  and 
the  wizards  out  of  the  land.  Wherefore  then  layeth 
thou  a  snare  for  my  life  to  cause  me  to  die  ? "  Then 
Saul  swore  to  her  by  the  Lord,  saying :  "As  the  Lord 
liveth,  there  shall  be  no  punishment  happen  to  thee  for 
this  thing." 

This  old  spirit  medium  then  asked  Saul  who  she 
should  bring  up.  And  he  told  her  Samuel.  And  when 
Samuel  appeared  the  old  woman  was  nearly  frightened 
out  of  her  wits,  for  she  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  that  is, 
she  screamed  as  only  a  woman  can,  and  said  to  Saul : 
"Why  hast  thou  deceived  me,  for  thou  art  Saul?" 
The  king  then  asked  this  woman  what  she  saw,  and  she 
answered  :  "  I  saw  gods  ascending  out  of  the  earth." 
Saul  then  asked  her  what  form  was  he,  and  she  said: 
"An  old  man  cometh  up  covered  with  a  mantle." 
Saul  recognized  from  the  description  that  it  was 
Samuel,  and  stooped  with  his  face  to  the  ground  and 
bowed  himself.  Samuel  then  asked  him  why  he  had 
called  him  up.  Saul  then  proceeded  to  explain  to  him 
that  he  was  in  sore  trouble,  that  the  Philistines  were 
making  war  upon  him,  and  that  God  had  departed  from 
him,  and  refused  to  answer  him  either  by  prophets  or 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  489 

dreams  and  that  he  had  called  for  him  to  tell  him 
what  to  do.  Samuel  then  said :  "  "Why  do  you  ask  me, 
seeing  the  Lord  is  departed  from  you  and  has  become 
your  enemy  ? "  Samuel  then  explained  to  Saul  that  the 
prophecy  which  he  had  made  concerning  him  and  his 
kingdom  was  being  fulfilled ;  that  the  Lord  had  rent 
his  kingdom  out  of  his  hand  and  would  give  it  to  David; 
that  he  and  his  army  would  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
Philistines,  and  that  on  the  morrow  he  and  his  sons 
would  be  with  him. 

As  to  what  spirit  world  Samuel  was  in  I  don't 
pretend  to  say,  for  that  is  none  of  my  business.  When 
Samuel  told  Saul  what  would  be  the  result  of  the 
morrow's  battle  he  fell  flat  upon  the  ground  and  was 
sore  afraid.  When  the  old  woman  saw  Saul  thus 
thoroughly  overcome  and  prostrated  she  began  to  get 
alarmed  herself,  and  told  him  that  she  had  only  done 
what  he  had  commanded  her  to  do,  and  that  she  had 
placed  her  life  in  his  hands,  and  now  he  must  listen  to 
and  do  what  she  told  him.  She  then  insisted  upon  his 
eating  something,  and  finally,  after  preparing  a  meal 
for  him,  she  and  the  men  prevailed  upon  Saul  to  eat 
some  roast  veal  and  bread,  after  which  they  rose  up  and 
went  away  the  same  night.  I  guess  Saul  went  away 
feeling  worse  discouraged  and  down-hearted  than  when 
he  came.  And  in  his  heart  he  no  doubt  wished  he  had 
never  gone  to  see  the  old  woman 

This  old  woman  differed  materially  from  our  modern 
spirit  mediums.  We  don't  read  of  her  tipping  tables 
nor  rapping,  or  calling  up  dumb  spirits  that  have  to 
write  their  communications.  When  Samuel  came  up 
at  her  bidding,  he  didn't  go  into  a  wardrobe  or  cabi- 
net, or  ring  a  bell  and  beat  a  drum,  to  let  Saul  know 


490  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

he  was  there.  But  he  spoke  out  like  a  real  sensible 
spirit  as  he  was,  and  asked  the  king  what  he  wanted  of 
him.  Samuel  did  his  own  talking ;  he  didn't  have  to 
have  an  interpreter,  nor  did  the  medium  have  to  count 
raps  or  write  his  answer  to  Saul's  question,  "What 
shall  Ido?" 

These  two  hostile  armies  met  in  deadly  conflict  the 
next  day,  and  as  Samuel  had  told  Saul,  the  Philistines 
put  the  Israelites  to  flight,  and  pursued  them  with 
great  slaughter  even  up  the  heights  of  Gilboa. 

On  this  mountain  Saul,  being  sorely  wounded  by  the 
archers,  begged  his  armor  bearer  to  draw  his  sword 
and  thrust  him  through,  lest  his  enemies  find  him  and 
not  only  kill  him,  but  mutilate  his  body.  Saul's  armor 
bearer  refused  to  do  this,  and  the  old  king,  courageous 
and  proud  to  the  last,  fixed  his  sword  so  as  to  fall  upon 
it,  and  thus  ended  his  life.  His  armor  bearer,  seeing 
that  Saul  was  dead,  likewise  fell  upon  his  sword  and 
killed  himself.  Three  of  Saul's  sons  were  slain  in  this 
engagement:  Jonathan,  David's  true  and  oft-tried 
friend,  Abinadab  and  Melchi-shua. 

On  the  next  day,  while  the  Philistines  were  going 
over  the  battle-field  stripping  and  despoiling  the  dead, 
they  found  the  bodies  of  Saul  and  his  sons  upon  Mt. 
Gilboa,  and  they  cut  off  the  head  of  Saul  and  put  his 
armor  in  the  temple  of  their  god  Ashtoreth,  and  they 
fastened  his  body  and  the  bodies  of  his  sons  to  the  wall 
of  Beth-shean,  a  town  of  Issachar.  The  Philistines  then 
spread  the  news  of  their  victory  in  their  temple  and 
among  their  people. 

When  the  inhabitants  of  Jabesh  Gilead  heard  what 
had  befallen  Saul,  their  valiant  men  went  by  night  and 
took  the  body  ef  Saul  and  the  bodies  of  his  sons  from 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  491 

the  wall  of  Beth-shean,  and  brought  them  to  Jabesh  and 
buried  them.  "  They  then  buried  their  bones  under  a 
tree  at  Jabesh." 

The  reader  will  remember  I  pointed  out  a  village 
lying  to  the  right  of  the  road  between  Jerusalem  and 
Bethlehem,  where  the  father  of  Saul  (Kish)  lived,  and 
to  where  the  bones  of  Jonathan  and  Saul  were 
removed  and  buried.  This  old  town  of  Beth-shean 
was  located  where  we  now  see  the  village  and  ruins  of 
a  place  which  lies  near  a  basin  on  the  margin  of  the 
plain  of  Jezreel,  called  Beison.  The  valley  slopes 
down  here  towards  a  gorge  which  is  some  two  or 
three  hundred  feet  below.  From  the  ruins  found  here 
some  think  the  city  was  a  large  place  at  the  time  here 
spoken  of. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  9th  century  B.  CM  Jezreel 
was  the  residence  of  King  Ahab  and  his  wife, 
Jezebel,  who  had  a  palace  here  and  also  one  in 
Samaria.  And  from  the  window  of  this  palace  Jezebel 
was  thrown  and  killed. 

You  remember  Joram  was  king  of  Israel  and  had 
been  wounded  in  a  battle  with  Hazael,  king  of  Syria, 
at  Ramoth-Gilead,  and  had  come  up  to  Jezreel  to 
get  well  of  his  wounds.  Ahaziah,  the  son  of 
Jehoram,  was  contemporary  king  of  Judah,  and  had 
united  forces  with  him  in  the  engagement  with  Hazael. 

While  Joram  was  at  Jezreel  recovering  from  his 
wounds  Elisha  sent  a  young  prophet  to  Ramoth- 
Gilead  and  had  him  to  anoint  Jehu  king  over  Israel. 
He  was  not  only  anointed  king,  but  he  was  also  told 
that  he  should  smite  the  house  of  Ahab,  his  master. 
Being  one  of  Ahab's  captains  of  the  host,  Ahab  is 
called  his  master.  He  was  to  avenge  the  blood 


492  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

of  the  Lord's  servants,  the  prophets,  and  the  blood 
of  all  the  servants  of  the  Lord  at  the  hand  of 
Jezebel.  He  was  commanded  to  cut  off,  or  kill,  all 
the  male  descendants  of  Ahab  and  all  that  is  left  in 
Israel,  etc. 

Immediately  after  being  anointed  king  and 
acknowledged  such  by  his  fellows,  the  captains  of  the 
host,  Jehu  said  :  cl  If  it  be  in  your  minds  then,  that 
is,  that  I  be  your  king,  let  no  one  go  out  of  the  city 
to  Jezreel  to  tell  what  has  taken  place." 

Jehu  then  mounted  his  chariot  and  drove  furiously 
to  this  place,  coming  up  this  valley.  Joram  had  a  man 
up  on  the  watch-tower  (we  find  these  watch-towers 
here  and  there  in  that  old  country  to  this  day ;  I 
saw  one  erected  like  scaffolding  of  wood) ;  when  the 
watchman  saw  Jehu  coming  a  horseman  was  sent  to 
meet  him  to  inquire  whether  he  was  a  messenger  of 
peace  or  war.  When  this  man  met  Jehu  he  asked  him 
"  Is  it  peace  ? "  Jehu  replied :  "  What  hast  thou  to  do 
with  peace?  Turn  behind  me." 

The  watchman  seeing  that  this  messenger  didn't 
return,  another  was  sent.  Jehu  treated  him  in  the  same 
way.  This  being  reported  to  the  wounded  king,  he 
ordered  out  his  war  chariot,  also  Ahaziah's.  (Ahaziah 
was  come  on  a  visit  to  see  Joram.)  These  kings  went  to 
meet  the  fast-driving  charioteer.  They  met  Jehu  in  a 
portion  of  land  adjoining  the  road  belonging  to  Naboth. 
Joram  attempted  to  escape  from  Jehu,  but  was  pierced 
by  his  arrow  and  sunk  down  in  his  chariot.  Jehu 
ordered  Bidkar,  his  captain,  to  "  take  him  up  and  cast 
him  in  the  portion  of  the  field  of  Naboth  the  Jezreel- 
ite."  Ahaziah  fled  by  way  of  the  garden  house  and 


AND   THE    HOLY   LAND.  493 

was  pursued,  but  in  going  up  to  Gur  was  overtaken 
and  wounded,  but  fled  to  Megiddo  and  there  died. 

Some  biblical  scholars  lo'cate  Naboth's  vineyard  at 
Jezreel,  but  the  bible  locates  it  unmistakably  at  Sama- 
ria. The  piece  or  portion  of  the  field  belonging  to 
Naboth  referred  to  in  this  connection  was,  I  have  no 
doubt,  a  piece  of  grain  land  which  he  cultivated  down 
east  of  Jezreel,  in  the  valley. 

It  is  customary  in  all  Palestine  to  this  day  for  the 
inhabitants  of  the  village  to  select  and  lay  off  their 
grain  lands  in  a  body,  and  unite  their  forces,  in  sow- 
ing, reaping,  etc. 

The  Lord  told  Elisha  to  "  Arise,  go  down  to  meet 
Ahab,  king  of  Israel,  which  is  in  Samaria.  Behold  he 
is  in  the  vineyard  of  Naboth,  whither  he  has  gone  down 
to  possess  it.  And  say  unto  him,  Thus  sayeth  the 
Lord,  Hast  thou  killed  and  also  taken  possession  ? "  I 
cannot  see  the  slightest  conflict  in  the  scriptures  in 
the  relation  of  this  circumstance. 

As  Jehu  drove  into  the  gate,  Jezreel  being  a  walled 
city,  the  Queen  Jezebel  painted  her  face,  curled  her 
bangs  and  donned  her  head-dress,  and  came  to  the 
window  of  the  palace  and  called  to  Jehu  and  asked  him 
if  Zimri  had  peace  who  slew  his  master.  Jehu  answered 
her  by  saying :  "  Who  is  on  my  side  ?  Who  ? " 

Two  or  three  eunuchs  having  come  to  the  window 
with  her,  Jehu  ordered  them  to  throw  this  she-devil 
down.  They  did  so,  and  Jehu  drove  his  horses  over 
her  body,  which  the  dogs  afterward  eat,  as  has  been 
spoken  of  the  Lord  by  the  mouth  of  Elisha. 

Now,  reader,  we  will  ride  down  the  margin  of  the 
valley  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  and  go  east  in  the 
direction  of  the  Jordan  for  a  mile  and  a  half  or 


4:94  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

two  miles,  which  will  bring  us  to  one  of  the  largest, 
boldest  springs  I  ever  saw.  The  mountains  of  Gilboa 
on  the  north  side  are  abrupt  and  precipitous  in  places. 
This  spring  comes,  as  it  were,  out  of  a  cave  underneath 
the  mountains,  and  forms  a  large  pool  in  the  valley 
fifty  yards  in  diameter,  and  from  two  to  four  feet 
deep.  This  is  called  the  pool  of  Gideon,  and  is  said  to 
be  the  place  where  the  Lord  told  Gideon  to  bring  his 
men  down  unto  the  water  and  he  would  try  them  for 
him.  The  horse  of  one  of  our  company  laid  down  with 
his  rider  in  this  fountain. 

Here  is  the  pool,  and  I  will  briefly  relate  this  incident 
as  given  in  the  scriptures.  If  the  reader  is  entirely 
familiar  with  it  read  it  again,  as  it  is  the  Lord's  dealing 
with  mankind  in  the  ages  gone  by,  and  you  may  be 
enabled  to  draw  a  useful  lesson  from  it  which  may 
not  have  presented  itself  to  your  mind  heretofore. 

The  children  of  Israel  had  for  seven  years  been 
oppressed  and  impoverished  by  the  Midianites,  who 
made  annual  raids  on  their  fields.  This  people  made 
annual  incursions  into  the  country  of  the  Israelites 
about  the  time  of  harvest,  bringing  their  tents  and 
camels  in  such  numbers  that  the  Israelites  compared 
them  to  grasshoppers.  As  soon  as  the  crops  of 
the  Israelites  were  about  ready  for  harvesting 
a  great  horde  of  these  Midianites  and  Amalekites  and 
the  inhabitants  of  the  east  would  come  over  into  their 
territory  and  destroy  the  crops  and  drive  off  their 
flocks. 

The  Israelites  were  driven  to  the  necessity  of  mak- 
ing for  themselves  dens,  and  caves,  and  strongholds 
in  the  mountains,  and  of  hiding  their  grain  and  provi- 
sions in  such  places.  The  children  of  Israel  were  so 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  495 

sorely  dealt  with  and  impoverished  by  this  marauding 
people  that  they  cried  unto  the  Lord.  In  answer  to 
their  cry  he  sent  a  prophet  unto  them  telling  them 
of  what  great  things  the  Lord  had  done  for  them,  but 
in  spite  of  it  all  they  had  been  rebellious  and  idolatrous 
and  khad  forsaken  him  and  turned  to  the  worship  of 
other  gods — the  gods  of  the  heathen  among  whom 
they  dwelt. 

After  the  Israelites  had  entreated  the  Lord  for 
deliverance  from  these  robbers  he  sent  an  angel  who 
sat  under  an  oak  near  where  Gideon,  the  son  of 
Joash,  was  threshing  wheat.  Gideon  was  by  the  wine- 
press hiding  from  the  Midianites,  and  the  angel  said 
unto  him,  "  The  Lord  is  with  thee,  thou  mighty  man  of 
valor."  Gideon  replied  to  this,  "  that  if  the  Lord  was 
with  them,  wliy  had  so  many  troubles  and  misfortunes 
befallen  them,  and  why  were  they  delivered  into  the 
hands  of  the  Midianites  ? "-  The  Lord,  in  the  person  of 
the  angel,  looked  upon  him  and  said,  "  Go  in  this  thy 
might  and  I  shall  save  Israel  from  the  hands  of  the 
Midianites ;  have  not  I  sent  thee  ? "  Gideon  asked  him 
"  how  was  he  to  save  Israel  ?  That  his  family  was  poor 
and  that  he  was  the  least  in  his  father's  house."  The 
Lord  told  him  he  would  be  with  him,  and  that  he 
should  smite  the  Midianites  as  though  they  were  one 
man. 

Gideon  then  asked  the  Lord  for  a  sign,  which  was 
given.  The  angel  put  forth  his  staff,  and  the  flesh  and 
leavened  bread  which  he  had  brought  for  the  angel  to 
eat  were  consumed  by  fire,  after  which  the  angel 
departed  out  of  his  sight.  After  the  angel  departed 
Gideon  became  alarmed  lest  he  would  die,  having  seen 
an-angel  of  the  Lord  face  to  face.  <k  But  the  Lord  said 


496  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

unto  him,  Peace  be  unto  you ;  fear  not,  thou  shalt  not 
die." 

Then  Gideon  built  an  altar  there  unto  the  Lord  and 
called  it  Jehovah-Shalom.  The  Lord  appeared  to 
Gideon  that  same  night,  and  told  him  to  throw  down 
the  altar  which  his  father  had  built  to  Baal,  and  cut 
down  the  grove,  and  build  an  altar  to  his  God  upon  the 
top  of  a  certain  rock  and  offer  a  sacrifice  thereon. 
Gideon  being  afraid  to  attempt  this  in  daylight  took 
ten  servants  and  went  by  night  and  did  as  he  had 
been  commanded.  Early  next  morning  when  the  men 
of  the  city  saw  what  had  been  done  they  raised  a  great 
hue  and  cry  about  it,  and  when  told  that  Gideon  had 
done  this  thing  they  went  to  Joash,  his  father,  and 
demanded  that  Gideon  be  brought  out  and  given  up 
that  he  might  be  put  to  death. 

Joash,  however,  instead  of  delivering  his  son  to 
them,  asked  them  if  they  would  plead  for  Baal  ?  If 
they 'would  save  him  ?  "  If  he  be  a  God  let  him  plead 
for  himself,  because  one  (man)  hath  thrown  down  his 
altar."  Old  Joash  had  some  grit  about  him,  and  said, 
further,  if  there  was  a  man  among  them  that  would  plead 
for  Baal,  "let  him  be  put  to  death  whilst  it  is  yet  morn- 
ing." Therefore  Joash  on  that  day  called  Gideon,  Jerub- 
Baal,  i.  e.,  "let  Baal  plead,  let  Baal  plead  against  him 
because  he  hath  thrown  down  his  altar." 

About  this  time  the  Midianites  and  the  Amalekites 
and  the  inhabitants  around  gathered  together  and  came 
over  the  Jordan  and  pitched  their  tents  here  in  this 
valley,  the  valley  of  Jezreel. 

But  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon  Gideon  and  he 
blew  a  trumpet  and  sent  messengers  among  the  Israel- 
ites around  and  gathered  an  army  of  twenty  odd  thou- 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  497 

sand  or  more,  and  after  the  Lord  had  proven  to  Gideon, 
in  a  manner  suggested  by  himself,  that  it  was  his  pur- 
pose to  save  Israel  by  his  hand,  he  crossed  over  and 
stationed  his  army  beside  the  well  of  Harod,  here  in 
the  same  valley.  The  Midianites  being  north  of  them 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley. 

Now  reader,  you  can  see  these  armies  are  not  far 
apart.  You  can  observe  for  yourself  that  the  valley  is 
narrow  here,  and  this  pool  and  the  spring  which  sup- 
plies it  with  water,  are  on  the  south  side  of  the  valley, 
and  more,  the  well  referred  to  may  have  been  a  reser- 
voir supplied  with  water  from  this  spring. 

Now  the  Lord  told  Gideon  that  his  army  wa  too 
large,  that  if  he  was  to  give  him  the  victory  the  peo- 
ple would  say  their  own  prowess  had  gained  it.  "  Go 
and  tell  them  that  all  who  are  afraid  to  go  into  battle 
may  return."  Twenty -two  thousand  took  him  at  his 
word  and  departed. 

Then  said  the  Lord  "  the  people  are  yet  too  many; 
bring  them  down  into  the  water  and  I  will  try  them  for 
thee  there.  And  it  shall  be  that  of  whom  I  say  unto  thee 
this  shall  go  with  thee,  the  same  shall  go,  and  of  whom- 
soever I  shall  say  this  shall  not  go  with  thee,  the  same 
shall  not  go."  The  Lord  said  further  to  Gideon, "  every 
one  that  lappeth  of  the  water  with  his  tongue  as  a  dog 
lappeth,  him  shalt  thou  set  by  himself,  and  every  one 
that  boweth  down  on  his  knee  to  drink  set  him  aside." 

Out  of  the  whole  number  thus  tested  three  hundred 
men  lapped  like  dogs,  and  the  Lord  told  Gideon  to  send 
all  the  others  away. 

Now  to  us  this  seems  a  very  strange  proceeding,  but 
let  us  remember  that  the  Lord's  ways  are  not  as  our 
wava.  The  Lord  told  Gideon  that  it  was  with  these 


498  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

three  hundred  men  he  would  deliver  this  army,  which 
for  multitude  lay  along  the  valley  like  grasshoppers, 
and  their  camels  were  without  number  as  the  sands  of 
the  sea  for  multitude. 

The  Lord  told  Gideon  that  night  to  arise  and  go 
down  to  the  host  of  the  Midianites,  for  he  had  deliv- 
ered them  into  his  hand.  But  if  he  was  afraid  to  go, 
to  first  go  down  with  his  servant  and  hear  what  they 
were  talking  about.  Gideon  did  this  and  heard  one 
fellow  tell  his  dream  and  another  give  the  interpreta- 
tion of  it.  This  fellow  that  told  his  dream  said:  "Be- 
hold, I  dreamed  a  dream,  and  lo!  a  cake  of  barley  bread 
tumbled  into  the  host  of  Midian,  and  came  into  a  tent 
and  smote  it  that  it  fell  and  overturned  it,  so  that  the 
tent  lay  upon  the  ground."  And  his  fellow  answered 
and  said :  "  This  is  nothing  else  save  the  sword  of  Gid- 
eon the  son  of  Joash,  a  man  of  Israel.  For  into  his 
hand  hath  God  delivered  Midian  and  all  the  host." 

When  Gideon  heard  this  he  thanked  God  a.nd 
returned  to  his  tent  and  roused  his  three  hundred  men, 
and  gave  them  instructions  as  to  what  they  were  to 
do. 

He  first  divided  them  into  three  companies  of  a 
hundred  men  each,  and  put  a  trumpet  in  every  man's 
hand,  with  empty  pitchers  and  lamps  in  the  pitchers. 
This  was  a  very  strange  happening  for  this  army  to 
have  three  hundred  trumpets,  three  hundred  pitchers, 
and  three  hundred  lamps  to  put  in  them.  Then  their 
leader  told  them  to  watch  him  and  do  in  every  partic- 
ular as  he  did.  "  You  are  to  station  yourselves  around 
the  encampment  of  the  Midianites,  and  when  I  blow 
my  trumpet  you  blow  yours,  and  when  I  take  my  lamp 
out  of  the  pitcher  you  take  out  your  lamp,  and  when  I 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  499 

break  my  pitcher  you  break  yours,  and  when  I  say, 
The  sword  of  the  Lord  and  Gideon,  you  say,  The 
sword  of  the  Lord  and  Gideon." 

This  was  a  strange  and  new  proceeding  throughout, 
and  for  that  reason  some  will  say  "  thejj  don't  believe 
that  such  a  thing  ever  occurred."  And  yet  it  is  not  half 
as  strange  as  that  you  should  have  lived  and  grown  up 
to  manhood  or  womanhood  from  a  beginning  of  only  one 
three-thousandth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  is  it  ?  And 
yet  such  is  the  fact.  Don't  say  you  don't  believe  a 
thing  because  you  don't  see  it  occur  just  that  way 
every  day,  simply  because  it  is  unusual.  You  see  and 
are  surrounded  by  equally  as  strange  things  every  day, 
but  they  become  common  to  you  and  you  don't  call 
them  in  question. 

"The  foolishness  of  God  is  wiser  than  men,  and 
the  weakness  of  God  is  stronger  than  men."  What 
was  the  result  of  Gideon's  trumpet  blowing  and 
pitcher  breaking  ?  A  perfect  panic  in  the  camp  of  the 
Midianites.  They  fled  in  every  direction  and  killed  each 
other  without  number.  Every  man's  sword  was  turned 
against  his  fellow  throughout  all  the  host.  Gideon 
gathered  an  army  and  followed  up  the  advantages 
placed  in  his  hands,  crossed  the  Jordan,  captured  and 
put  to  death  two  kings  and  two  princes,  and  discom- 
fitted  the  whole  host. 

God's  ways  are  not  our  ways,  and  the  man  is  a  fool 
who  says  he  does  not  believe  a  thing  because  he  does 
not  understand  it,  for  we  do  not  understand  half  we 
think  we  do. 

Reader,  now  we  will  return  to  Jezreel,  from  which 
place  we  can  get  a  good  view  of  Mount  C&rmel. 


TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

CHAPTER  XX.    • 

"TV/I"1"'   C£RMEL'  vvhicn   branches  off    from  the 

-LVjL  mountains  of  Samaria  and  stretches  in  a  long 
line  to  the  northwest  is  situated  on  the  southern 
frontier  of  the  tribe  of  Asher." 

It  seems  to  us  from  this  valley  of  Jezreel  to  project 
into  the  valley  of  Esdraelon,  because  we  see  the  valley 
extending  along  its  northern  border  as  far  as  the  sea. 
The  stream  Kishon  runs  along  the  valley  just  north  of 
the  range  of  Carmel.  We  cross  one  or  more  of  its 
tributaries  in  crossing  the  valley. 

The  word  Carmel  signifies  "orchard;"  this  whole 
mountain  being  covered  in  the  spring  with  a  great 
variety  of  beautiful  flowers,  which  is  due  to  the  abun- 
dant supply  of  water  found  here.  This  rich  vegetation 
remains  green  and  luxuriant  even  during  summer,  and 
forms  a  refreshing  exception  to  the  general  aridity  of 
Palestine  in  the  hot  season. 

This  mountain  forms  a  very  conspicuous  object  from 
any  and  every  part  of  this  valley  of  Esdraelon.  It 
will  be  in  plain  view  until  we  reach  Nazareth.  And 
how  near  it  seems  to  be  to  us.  Isn't  it  wonderful  ? 
How  far  is  it  did  you  say  ?  It  is  twelve  miles  to  the 
foot  of  the  mountain. 

The  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  this  country  regarded 
this  mountain  as  sacred,  and  at  a  very  early  period  it 
was  called  u  mount  of  gods."  Isaiah  speaks  of  its 
beauty  and  excellency.  Solomon  in  extolling  the 
graces  of  the  church  compares  it  to  this  mountain.  On 
the  west  side  of  the  mountain  are  said  to  be  numerous 

502 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  503 

grottoes  which  were  once  occupied  by  hermits.  Even 
Pythagoras  on  his  return  from  Egypt  is  said  to  have 
spent  so  me  time  here. 

"  In  the  12th  century,  Pope  Honorius  III.  organized 
these  hermits  into  an  order,  and  in  1238  some  of  these 
Carmelites  removed  to  Europe. "  In  1799,  when 
Napoleon  besieged  Acre,  a  monastery  which  the  monks 
had  built  upon  Carmel  was  used  by  the  Franks  as  a 
hospital.  On  the  occasion  of  the  Greek  revolt  in  1821, 
Abdallah,  Pasha  of  Acre,  caused  the  monastery  and  a 
church  which  had  been  erected  here  to  be  destroyed 
under  pretense  that  the  monks  might  be  expected  to 
favor  the  enemies  of  the  Turks. 

The  monastery  has  been  rebuilt,  however,  and  is  now 
occupied  by  some  eighteen  or  twenty  monks. 

Near  the  foot  of  this  mountain  stood  the  ancient 
Megiddo  and  the  neighboring  Taanach.  Megiddo  was 
a  fortified  place  and  was  given  to  Manasseh,  in  the  ter- 
ritory of  Issachar.  But  the  Caananites  retained  pos- 
session of  it  at  that  time.  It  was  to  this  city  you 
remember  Ahaziah,  king  of  Judah,  fled,  when  wounded 
by  Jehu,  and  died.  Several  centuries  later  Josiah 
attacked  the  Egyptian  army  of  Pharaoh-Necho  in  this 
plain  when  on  its  march  against  the  Babylonians,  but 
was  defeated,  and  Josiah  died  in  this  city  of  Megiddo. 

Now  let  me  call  your  attention  to  some  of  the  inter- 
esting incidents  which  have  occurred  on  and  around  this 
old  sacred  mountain  in  the  days  long  gone  by.  Dur- 
ing the  period  of  the  judges,  Jabin,  king  of  Caanan, 
who  resided  in  Hazor,  had  held  the  children  of  Israel 
in  subjection  for  twenty  years,  and  had  sorely  oppressed 
them.  Deborah  was  one  of  the  judges  of  Israel  and 
the  only  woman  who  ever  served  Israel  in  that  capac- 


504  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

ity.  She  was  not  only  one  of  the  judges  of  Israel,  but 
was  also  a  prophetess  and  lived  between  Ramah  and 
Bethel  in  the  mountains  of  Ephraim. 

Deborah  sent  for  Barak  (to  whom  Apollus  refers  in 
that  grand  sermon  of  his  on  the  subject  of  faith  in  the 
llth  chapter  of  Hebrews)  out  of  Kedesh-naphtali  and 
said  unto  him :  "  Hath  not  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  com- 
manded, saying,  Go  and  draw  toward  Mt.  Tabor,  and 
take  with  thee  ten  thousand  men.  of  the  children  of 
Naphtali  and  of  the  children  of  Zebulun  ?  And  I  will 
draw  unto  thee  to  the  river  Kishon  Sisera,  the  captain 
of  Jabin's  army,  with  his  chariots  and  his  multitude ; 
and  I  will  deliver  him  into  thine  hand." 

Barak  didn't  deny  but  that  the  Lord  had  told  him  to 
do  this  thing,  but  it  seemed  that  he  was  like  Jonah.  It 
was  a  job  he  was  afraid  to  undertake. 

So  he  told  her  if  she  would  go  with  him  he  would 
go,  but  unless  she  did  he  would  not  go.  Barak  spoke 
very  positively  about  the  matter.  It  appears  that  he 
had  made  up  his  mind  not  to  obey  the  Lord,  but  as  a 
compromise,  to  get  rid  of  what  was  to  him  an  unpleas- 
ant duty,  he  told  Deborah  if  she  would  go  with 
him  he  would  go.  Deborah  then  told  him  she  would 
go,  but  let  the  gentleman  know  at  the  same  time  that 
he  should  not  reap  any  honors  for  going,  that  the  Lord 
would  deliver  Sisera  unto  the  hands  of  a  woman,  i.  e., 
into  her  hands.  So  Deborah  went  with  Barak  to 
Kedesh ;  and  Barak  collected  his  ten  thousand  men 
from  Naphtali  and  Zebulun  to  Kedesh. 

Barak  went  up  on  Mt.  Tabor.  I  haven't  been  able 
to  locate  Kedesh,  it  was  near  here  however.  It  seems 
that  Sisera  could  see,  had  he  been  looking,  the  moving 
army  of  Barak  and  Deborah  as  it  passed  through  the 


AND  THE   HOLY   LAND.  505 

valley  where  we  now  stand,  from  Carmel  over  west  of 
us.  For  in  the  account  given  us  it  says :  "  They  showed 
Sisera  that  Barak  had  gone  up  to  Mt.  Tabor."  If  we 
were  a  little  further  west  of  where  we  are  standing  to 
see  beyond  that  projecting  point  or  range  of  hills  just 
over  on  the  other  side  of  the  valley  of  Jezreel,  we  could 
see  Mt.  Tabor. 

At  all  events  Sisera  gathered  all  his  chariots,  "  even 
nine  hundred  chariots  of  iron,"  and  all  the  fighting  men 
that  were  with  him,  and  he  and  Barak  had  an 
engagement  of  their  forces  at  some  point,  I  suppose  out 
in  the  valley  lying  northwest  of  us  near  the  Kishon. 
This  stream  drains  the  valley  of  the  Esdraelon  and 
empties  into  the.  Mediterranean. 

The  result  of  this  battle  was  that  Sisera's  army  was 
cut  to  pieces  and  put  to  flight,  every  man  being  slain. 
Barak  pursued  Captain  Sisera  so  closely  that  he  had  to 
leave  his  chariot  and  take  it  on  foot.  Sisera  in  his 
endeavor  to  save  his  life  ran  to  the  tent  of  Heber,  a 
Kenite,  a  descendant  of  the  children  of  Hobab,  Moses' 
father-in-Jaw. 

When  Heber's  wife  (Jael)  saw  Sisera  coming  she 
went  out  to  meet  him  and  told  him  to  "  turn  into  her 
tent  and  fear  not."  After  he  went  into  her  tent  she 
secreted  him  by  covering  him  with  a  mantle  or  rug. 
The  race  made  the  Captain  tired  and  thirsty,  and  he 
asked  Jael  to  give  him  a  drink  of  water,  but  she  opened 
a  bottle  of  milk  and  gave  him  to  drink  and  covered 
him  again.  The  Captain  then  told  her  to  stand  in  the 
door  of  the  tent  and  if  any  one  came  along  and  inquired 
if  there  was  a  man  there,  to  say  no. 

Here  comes  in  a  tragedy  performed  by  this  woman; 
the  motive  for  which  it  is  hard  to  fully  fathom.  In  fact. 


506  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

unless  we  in  a  manner  concede  that  the  ends  justified 
the  means,  we  are  bound  to  condemn  her  conduct 
as  an  act  of  deception,  treachery  and  murder,  and  I  so 
regard  it.  I  know  Deborah  and  Barak  extoll  the  act 
and  sing  her  praise  and  say :  "Blessed  above  women 
shall  Jael,  the  wife  of  Heber,  the  Kenite  be.  Blessed 
shall  she  be  above  women  in  the  tent,  etc.,  etc."  When 
the  Captain  had  told  her  to  watch  he  lay  still,  feeling 
secure  dropped  off  to  sleep.  Jael  then  slipped  back 
and  "  went  softly  unto  him  "  and  drove  a  spike  through 
his  head  into  the  ground,  and  "so  he  died."  I  should 
say  he  did. 

When  Barak  reached  the  tent  in  hot  pursuit  of  Cap- 
tain Sisera,  Jael  met  him  and  told  him  she  would  show 
him  the  man  he  was  seeking.  Jael  could  very  safely 
promise  this,  for  she  had  him  nailed  to  the  ground  hard 
and  fast. 

I  will  relate  to  the  reader  another  little  episode  which 
occurred  near  the  foot  of  Mt.  Carmel.  You  know  David 
had  a  weakness  of  falling  in  love  with  pretty  women. 
I  don't  know  that  we  ought  to  censure  David  too  heavily 
for  this,  however,  for  it  is  a  weakness  of  human  nature 
that  was  not  peculiar  to  David.  For  we  find  able  men, 
great,  gifted,  men,  in  all  the  walks  of  life,  now  and 
then  yielding  to  the  same  seductive  temptations.  We 
read  almost  daily  of  men  in  the  higher  walks  of  life, 
professional  men,  men  occupying  positions  of  trust  and 
confidence,  even  men  who  proclaim  themselves  called 
as  leaders  and  teachers  of  the  religion  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  giving  up  their  fair  names,  their  social  stand- 
ing, their  influence  for  good,  their  honor,  their  all, 
tearing  down  like  the  mad  cyclone  the  fair  fabric,  the 
superstructure  of  their  lives,  the  fair  social  and  moral 


AND   THE    HOLT   LAND.  507 

edifice  which  they  may  have  been  years  in  erecting, 
and  in  an  unguarded  moment  surrendering  their  all  to 
the  charms  and  seductive  influence  of  fascinating 
women. 

"When  we  consider  the  status  of  the  social,  moral  and 
religious  sentiments  of  the  people  at  that  remote  period 
David,  we  find,  was  a  man  of  no  ordinary  force  of 
character,  but.  like  many  other  great,  and  we  say  good, 
men,  he  had  his  weak  points,  and  these  led  him  to  the 
commission  of  dark  and  wicked  deeds  wholly  inconsist- 
ent with  the  higher  and  more  ennobling  traits  of  his 
character.  We  find  him  at  one  time  giving  expression 
to  some  of  the  most  sublime,  lofty,  poetical,  religious 
thoughts  and  feelings  to  be  anywhere  found.  Then 
again  we  hear  him  in  sackcloth  and  ashes,  confessing 
his  sins,  deploring  his  backslidings,  his  shortcomings, 
and  pleading  for  mercy  and  forgiveness.  David  car- 
ried his  heart  in  his  hand,  and  in  his  writings  gives  us 
an  open,  candid  exposure  of  the  inner  man,  a  great 
man,  a  good  man,  and  a  bad  man ;  a  warrior,  a  king 
after  God's  will  and  pleasure,  or,  as  expressed  by  Sam- 
uel, "after  God's  own  heart" — not  the  man,  but  a 
king  after  God's  own  heart. 

We  are  told  that  there  was  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Nabal  living  in  Maon  who  had  possessions  in  Carmel. 
It  is  said  he  was  very  rich,  that  he  had  three  thousand 
sheep  and  a  thousand  goats  on  Mt.  Carmel. 

At  the  time  we  write  he  was  down  at  Carmel  shear- 
ing his  sheep.  It  is  said  he  was  a  cross-grained, 
churlish,  crabbed,  ill-natured  fellow,  "  evil  in  all  his 
doings;"  notwithstanding  he  was  descended  from  a 
good  family,  the  family  of  Caleb. 

David  heard  that  Nabal  was  at  Carmel  shearing,  and 


508  TRAVELS  IN   EGYPT 

sent  ten  young  men  up  to  Carrael  and  told  them  to  go 
to  ISTabal  and  greet  him  in  his  name,  and  "  say  to  him, 
that  liveth  in  prosperity,  Peace  be  both  to  thee  and 
peace  be  to  thine  house,  and  peace  be  unto  all  that 
thou  hast. 

"  And  now  I  have  heard  that  thou  hast  shearers : 
now  thy  shepherds  which  were  with  us,  we  hurt  them 
not,  neither  was  there  ought  missing  unto  them,  all  the 
time  they  were  in  Carmel.  Ask  thy  young  men  and 
they  will  shew  thee.  Wherefore  let  the  young  men 
find  favor  in  thine  eyes :  for  we  come  in  a  good  day. 
give,  I  pray  thee,  whatsoever  cometh  to  thine  hand 
unto  thy  servants,  and  to  thy  son  David." 

When  the  young  men  came  to  Nabal  they  spoke  unto 
him  as  they  were  instructed  in  the  above  language,  old 
Nabal,  however,  instead  of  appreciating  the  friendly 
greeting  and  kind  messages  of  David,  very  abruptly 
asked,  "  Who  is  David  ?  and  who  is  the  son  of  Jesse  ? 
There  are  many  servants  in  our  days  that  break  away 
from  our  masters ;  do  you  expect  me  to  take  my  bread 
and  meat,  which  I  have  prepared  for  my  shearers,  and 
give  it  to  men  whom  I  know  not  from  whence  they 
came  ? " 

The  young  men  returned  and  told  David  what  a  cool 
reception  they  had  met  with,  and  what  Nabal  said. 

This  made  David  mad,  and  he  commanded  his  men 
to  "  Gird  ye  on  every  man  his  sword."  David,  with 
about  four  hundred  followers,  started  to  Carmel  to 
avenge  the  insult.  It  appears  that  on  an  occasion 
previous  to  this  David  had  shown  Nabal  a  kindness 
and  he  now  regarded  it  not  only  as  an  insult  that  his 
message  and  his  messengers  were  received  as  they  were 
but  that  he  had  requited  him  evil  for  good. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  509 

After  David's  messengers  left  Carmel  to  return,  one 
of  Nabal's  young  men  told  Abigail,  Nabal's  wife,  all 
about  the  matter.  He  told  her  David  had  sent  messen- 
gers to  salute  his  master,  and  his  master  "  railed  upon 
them."  The  young  man  told  Abigail  "  that  she  had 
better  consider  what  was  the  best  thing  for  her  to  do, 
for  he  was  sure  evil  was  determined  against  his  master 
and  against  his  household.  That  his  master  was  such 
a  son  of  Belial  that  a  man  dare  not  speak  to  him." 

We  are  told  that  Abigail  was  not  only  a  woman  of 
fine  sense,  but  of  "  beautiful  countenance."  She  saw 
at  once  that  trouble  would  come  upon  her  husband  and 
his  household  unless  something  could  be  done  to  con- 
ciliate David  and  make  amends  for  the  incivility  offered 
his  messengers. 

She  was  equal  to  the  emergency,  however,  for  she 
made  haste  and  took  two  hundred  loaves,  and  two  bot- 
tles of  wine,  and  five  sheep  ready  dressed,  and  measures 
of  parched  corn,  and  a  hundred  clusters  of  raisins,  and 
two  hundred  cakes  of  figs,  and  loaded  them  on  don- 
keys. And  she  made  her  servants  go  on  before  her  and 
told  them  that  she  would  follow.  Abigail  said  not  a 
word  of  what  she  was  doing  or  intended  doing,  to  her 
old  "son  of  Belial." 

It  so  happened  that  as  she  was  riding  down  one  hill 
David  and  his  men  were  coming  down  the  hill  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  ravine,  and  they  met.  When  Abi- 
gail saw  David  she  alighted  from  the  donkey  and  fell 
before  him  and  bowed  herself  to  the  ground  and  fell  at 
his  feet  and  said  :  "  Upon  me,  my  lord,  upon  me  let  this 
iniquity  be,  and  let  thine  handmaid,  I  pray  thee,  speak 
in  thine  audience,  and  hear  the  words  of  thine  hand- 
maid." She  then  begged  David  not  to  regard  or 


510  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

treasure  revenge  for  what  JSTabal  had  done,  that  his 
name  was  Nabal,  "  fool,"  and  folly  was  in  him.  That 
she  did  not  see  the  young  men  whom  he  sent.  She 
said  further:  "As  the  Lord  liveth,  and  as  thy  soul 
liveth,  seeing  the  Lord  hath  withholden  thee  from 
coming  to  shed  blood,  and  from  revenging  thyself  with 
thine  own  hand,  now  let  thine  enemies  and  they  that 
seek  evil  to  my  lord  be  as  Nabal."  She  then  asked 
David  to  give  the  men  he  had  with  him  the  presents 
she  brought  with  her.  She  then  complimented,  or 
rather  flattered,  him,  and  told  him  that  no  evil  had 
been  found  in  him  all  the  days  of  his  life.  She  then 
told  him  he  had  an  enemy  who  was  seeking  his  life,  but 
that  his  life  was  bound  up  in  a  bundle  with  the  Lord 
his  God,  and  that  the  lives  of  his  enemies  would  be 
thrown  out  like  a  stone  from  the  sling.  And  when  the 
Lord  should  have  made  him  ruler  over  Israel,  that  he 
would  be  glad  that  he  had  shed  no  blood  causelessly. 
And  when  the  Lord  had  dealt  well  with  him  he  must 
remember  his  handmaid,  etc.,  etc. 

Abigail's  pretty  talk  and  pretty  face  took  all  the 
anger  out  of  David's  heart.  So  he  received  her  pres- 
ent and  said  to  her,  "  Go  up  in  peace  to  thine  house  ; 
see,  I  have  hearkened  to  thy  words  and  have  accepted 
thy  person."  *  We  find  this  expression  "  accepted  thy 
person"  the  same  as  was  used  by  the  angel  to  Lot, 
when  Lot  requested  the  angel  to  allow  him  to  escape 
into  a  certain  city — "a  little  city."  The  angel  said, 
"  See,  I  have  accepted  thee  concerning  this  thing  also ;" 
i.  e.,  I  have  consented  or  yielded  to  your  request.  And 
that  is  what  David  meant.  "Go  up  in  peace  to  thine 
house  ;  see,  I  have  yielded  to  your  request." 

The  sequel  of  this  narrative  shows  conclusively  that 


AND  THE   HOLY   LAND.  511 

David  was  captivated  by  the  good  sense,  pretty  face, 
manners,  and  flattery  of  this  accomplished  woman. 

When  Abigail  reached  home  she  found  the  old  man 
in  a  high  way.  He  was  holding  a  feast  fit  for  a  king, 
and  had  taken  on  enough  over-joyful  to  be  as  merry  as 
a  lark.  The  old  man  was  on  an  American  drunk.  So 
she  said  nothing  about  what  she  had  done  to  save  his 
life,  until  the  next  morning. 

The  next  morning  when  he  was  feeling  as  mean  as 
only  a  drunken  man  can  feel  when  sobering  up,  she 
told  him  all  about  it.  His  whisky  being  dead  within 
him,  the  scriptures  tell  us,  "  his  heart  died  within  him ; " 
i.  e. ,  the  emotional  part  of  the  man.  Yes,  that  is  one 
of  the  most  constant  effects  of  alcoholic  drinks ;  it 
causes  sooner  or  later  the  death  of  all  the  better  ele- 
ments of  man's  nature ;  it  blunts  and  finally  destroys 
the  moral  and  intellectual  man,  leaving  the  brutal 
part  of  his  make-up  in  all  of  its  deformity  to  rule  and 
control  the  wreck.  It  is  really  pitiful. 

Now,  to  justify  the  remarks  made  about  David  above, 
I  close  my  relation  of  this  incident,  which  happened 
here  at  Carmel  nearly  three  thousand  years  ago,  by 
stating  that  this  old  drunken  "  son  of  Belial "  died  about 
ten  days  after  his  debauch,  and  as  soon  as  David 
learned  that  he  was  dead  he  sent  for  Abigail  and  made 
her  his  wife. 

There  is  another  very  wonderful  occurrence  which  is 
said  to  have  occurred  here  on  Mt.  Carmel  which  I 
wish  to  mention.  And  I  especially  invite  my  colored 
friends  to  read  this  chapter,  and  more  especially  the 
colored  ministers. 

At  the  time  of  which  we  now  write  Israel  was  cursed 
with  a  succession  of  miserable,  wicked,  idolatrous  kings. 


512  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

After  the  death  of  Solomon  and  the  division  of  the  em- 
pire, which  had  been  built  up,  strengthened  and  pros- 
pered under  the  reigns  of  David  and  Solomon,  ten 
tribes  split  off  and  chose  Jeroboam  as  king  over  them, 
leaving  Rehoboam  king  over  Judah. 

Jeroboam  started  out  on  a  path  of  wicked  idolatry 
and  rebellion'  against  the  expressed  commands  of 
Jehovah.  Under  the  pretext  of  convenience  to  his 
people  he  erected  idolatrous  temples  of  worship  at 
Bethel  and  Dan.  After  the  death  of  Jeroboam,  Nadab, 
his  son,  succeeded  him,  but  was  killed  at  Gibbethon  by 
Baasha,  after  a  reign  of  two  years.  Asa,  king  of  Judah, 
and  this  king  of  Israel,  Baasha,  were  engaged  in  a 
long  war.  Baasha  reigned  over  Israel  twenty-four 
years.  The  capital  of  Israel  was  at  that  time  Tirzah, 
and  Baasha  died  and  was  buried  at  that  place.  After 
his  death  his  son  Elah  reigned  in  his  stead.  After  two 
years  this  drunken  king  was  killed  by  Zimri,  his  ser- 
vant, as  before  stated.  Zimri's  reign  only  lasted  seven 
days.  Omri,  captain  of  the  host  of  Israel,  was  at  the 
time  of  the  ^murder  encamped  with  the  army  against 
Gibbethon,  a  city  of  Philistines.  The  army,  upon  hear- 
ing what  Zimri  had  done,  made  Omri  king  over  Israel. 
Omri  moved  the  army  at  once  and  besieged  Tirzah 
with  a  view  of  dethroning  Zimri.  "When  Zimri  saw  the 
city  was  taken  he  went  into  the  palace  of  the  king's 
house  and  set  it  on  fire  and  perished  in  the  flames. 

The  people  of  Israel  were  for  a  time  divided  in 
sentiment  as  to  whether  they  would  have"  Omri  or 
Tibni  as  king.  The  Omri  party,  however,  prevailed, 
Tibni  having  died  in  the  meantime.  Omri  was 
acknowledged  king  and  reigned  twelve  years,  six  years 
at  Tirzah  and  six  at  Samaria  (having  bought  the  hill  of 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  513 

Shemer).  After  the  death  of  Omri,  Ahab,  his  son, 
reigned  in  his  stead. 

The  scriptures  inform  us  that  each  of  these  succeed- 
ing monarchs  was,  if  possible,  more  wicked  than  his  pre- 
decessor. All  carrying  out  the  idolatrous  worship  of 
Baal  inaugurated  in  Israel  by  Jeroboam. 

Elijah  the  Tishbite,  who  was  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Gilead,  said  to  Ahab :  "  As  the  Lord  God  of  Israel 
liveth,  before  whom  I  stand,  there  shall  not  bedew  nor 
rain  these  years  but  according  to  my  word."  In  the 
third  year  of  the  drought,  the  word  of  the  Lord  came 
to  Elijah,  saying :  "  Go  shew  thyself  to  Ahab  and  I  will 
send  rain  upon  the  earth."  And  Elijah  went  to  show 
himself  to  Ahab,  who  was  at  Samaria.  All  the  grass 
and  vegetation  had  dried  and  parched  up  on  all  these 
plains  which  we  see  spread  out  in  every  direction  here 
before  us  There  was  also  a  great  scarcity  of  water. 
I  think  a  great  many  people  have  formed  an  opinion  of 
this  country  from  the  description  given  of  it  in  the 
scriptures  in  the  third  year  of  this  continual  drought. 
When  Elijah  was  commanded  by  the  Lord  to  go  and 
show  himself  to  Ahab  we  are  told  that  "  there  was  a 
sore  famine  in  Samaria."  Ahab  had  told  Obadiah,  the 
governor  of  his  house,  "  to  go  in  one  direction  and  he 
would  go  in  another  into  the  land  and  search  all  the 
fountains  of  water  and  all  the  brooks,  that  peradven- 
ture  they  might  find  grass  to  save  the  horses  and  mules 
from  starving  to  death." 

Obadiah  went  in  one  direction  and  Ahab  in  another, 
as  Ahab  had  ordered.  As  Obadiah  was  traveling 
along  by  himself  he  met  Elijah  and  recognized  him. 
Kneeling  down  and  putting  his  face  to  the  ground,  he 
said:  "Art  thou  that  my  lord  Elijah?"  Elijah 


514:  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

answering  him,  said :  "  I  am."  "  Go  and  tell  thy  lord, 
behold  Elijah  is  here."  Obadiah  told  Elijah  "  that 
Ahab  had  searched  for  him  through  every  nation,  and 
kingdom,  and  when  it  was  reported  to  him  that  he 
was  not  in  a  certain  nation  and  kingdom  that  he 
required  the  oath  of  that  nation  or  kingdom  to  that 
effect.  And  if  I  go  and  tell  my  lord  that  you  are 
here,  and  while  I  am  gone  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  carry 
you  I  know  not  where,  and  I  then  have  to  tell  Ahab 
I  can  not  find  you,  he  will  slay  me."  To  this 
reasonable  conclusion  Obadiah  adds:  "Was  it  not 
told  my  lord  what  I  did  when  Jezebel  slew  the 
prophets  of  the  Lord,  how  I  hid  an  hundred  of  the 
Lord's  prophets  by  fifties  in  a  cave  and  fed  them  with 
bread  and  water  ?  And  now,  notwithstanding  all 
this,  you  say,  go  and  tell  thy  lord,  behold  Elijah  is  here, 
and  he  shall  slay  me."  Elijah  quieted  Obadiah  by 
telling  him :  "  As  the  Lord  of  hosts  liveth,  before 
whom  I  stand,  I  will  surely  show  myself  to  Ahab 
to-day."  So  Obadiah  went  to  meet  Ahab  and  Ahab 
went  to  meet  Elijah,  and  when  Ahab  saw  Elijah  he 
said  to  him :  "  Art  thou  he  that  troubleth  Israel  ? " 
Elijah  told  him  that  he  had  not  troubled  Israel.  "  But 
you  (Ahab)  and  your  father's  house,  in  that  you  have 
forsaken  the  commandment  of  the  Lord  and  followed 
Baalim."  "Now/' said  Elijah,  "send  and  gather  to 
me  all  Israel  and  four  hundred  and  fifty  of  the 
prophets  of  this  god  of  yours  and  four  hundred  of  the 
prophets  of  the  grove  who  eat  at  Jezebel's  table." 
Ahab  did  as  Elijah  told  him,  and  gathered  all  Israel 
and  the  prophets  unto  Mt.  Carmel.  Elijah  met  them 
there  and  said  to  them :  "  How  long  halt  ye  between 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  515 

two  opinions  ?  If  the  Lord  be  God  follow  him,  but  if 
Baal  follow  him." 

That  was  certainly  a  fair  proposition,  and  yet  "they 
answered  him  not  a  word/'  Elijah  not  only  presented 
the  question  fairly  and  squarely,  but  he  proposed  to  put 
the  matter  to  the  test.  He  said :  "  I,  only,  remain  a 
prophet  of  the  Lord,  -while  on  the  other  hand  Baal  is 
represented  by  four  hundred  and  fifty  prophets."  Moses 
had  told  this  people  that  "  The  Lord  your  God  is  God 
of  gods  and  Lord  of  lords."  He  had  told  them  that  he 
was  "a  great  God,"  a  "  mighty  and  terrible  God,"  who 
regarded  not  persons  nor  taketh  reward." 

Here  was  to  be  a  contest,  not  of  human  beings  or  of 
human  power,  but  of  Gocls  ;  a  contest  of  supernatural 
power.  It  will  be  remembered  that  on  one  occasion 
the  Syrians  said  that  the  Lord  was  God  of  the  hills  but 
not  of  the  valleys,  for  which  they  were  sorely  punished. 
Jonah  had  the  same  idea  of  Jehovah. 

The  Philistines  made  this  issue  between  the  ark  of 
the  Lord  and  their  god  Dagon,  but  they  were  not  able 
to  keep  their  god  in  the  ring  (or  on  his  seat).  Their 
god  Dagon  got  completely  knocked  out  and  mutilated 
on  the  second  round.  Again  Pharaoh  (Meneptah) 
accepted  the  gauntlet  thrown  down  by  Moses  as  a 
defiance  to  his  gods,  and  with  a  courage  worthy  of  a 
better  cause  took  it  up  cheerfully  in  their  name. 

On  the  one  hand  were  these  two  old  men,  Moses  and 
Aaron,  brothers,  whom  God  had  commissioned  to 
represent  him,  and  on  the  other  hand  Pharaoh  assumed 
to  champion  the  Egyptian  gods.  Pharaoh  made  an 
obstinate  resistance,  but  was  finally  conquered,  and 
said  to  Moses :  "  Go,  then,  serve  Jehovah,  and  bless  me 
also." 


516  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

Elijah,  not  alone,  but  alone  to  all  human  appearance, 
challenges  Baal  and  his  four  hundred  and  fifty  prophets 
to  a  renewal  of  the  same  contest.  A  day  is  given  by 
the  prophet  to  his  antagonists,  to  enable  them  to  com- 
mand all  their  invisible  powers  and  forces  to  the 
struggle  before  them.  If  Baal  be  god,  he  must  now 
convince  this  people  by  a  demonstration  of  his  divine 
power,  prove  himself  a  god,  or  get  down  and  out. 

Elijah  told  the  prophets  of  Baal  to  "  select  a  bullock 
for  themselves  and  cut.  it  in  pieces  and  lay  it  on  wood, 
and  put  no  fire  on  it,"  and  he  would  take  a  bullock  and 
do  the  same ;  that  the  prophets  of  Baal  must  then  call 
upon  the  name  of  their  god,  and  he  would  call  upon  the 
name  of  the  Lord  his  God,  and  the  god  that  answered 
by  fire  let  him  be  God.  What  could  be  fairer  than  this  ? 

This  proposition  was  agreed  to  by  all  the  people,  and 
they  answered  and  said  :  "It is  well  spoken"  So  the 
prophets  of  Baal  selected  their  sacrifice,  dressed  it,  cut 
it  in  pieces,  and  placed  it  on  the  wood,  as  had  been  agreed 
upon.  I  have  often  thought  that  I  would  like  to  see 
the  Greek  Catholics  at  Jerusalem  put  to  an  honest  test 
in  calling  down  holy  fire,  which  they  profess  to  do  on 
Easter  eve  every  year. 

These  patriarchs  and  priests  not  only  practice  a  pious 
fraud  upon  the  people,  but  they  tell  a  lie  on  the  Lord 
in  saying  he  sends  fire  from  heaven  in  answer  to  their 
prayers.  The  whole  thing  is  a  fraud,  and  the  perpetrators 
know  it. 

But  now  listen  how  those  prophets  of  Baal  whoop 
and  yell,  calling  upon  his  name  from  morning  till  noon. 
But  no  answer  came,  no  voice,  no  fire  to  consume  their 
sacrifice.  It  didn't  even  smoke.  Elijah  mocked  them. 
This  is  the  only  place  in  all  the  bible  where  we  find  sar- 


AND   THE    HOLT    LAND.  517 

casm  and  ridicule.  Our  colored  friends  sometimes  say 
that  the  white  folks  laugh  and  make  fun  of  their  extrava- 
gance in  worshiping  and  praising  God — and  they  have 
a  right  to,  for  God  tells  us  he  is  a  spirit,  and  that  they 
who  worship  him  must  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth, 
and  not  like  he  was  a  heathen  god,  by  whooping  and 
yelling  and  shouting  at  the  top  of  the  voice  as  though 
"  God"  was  "talking"  or  was  "pursuing,"  or  was  on 
"a  journey."  All  this  was  the  manner  of  heathen 
worship,  and  Elisha  laughed  at  them  and  taunted  them, 
and  told  them  "  to  cry  louder." 

If  Elijah  could  hear  the  noise  made  in  some  of  the 
churches  of  the  colored  people  of  our  day  he  would 
not  have  had  to  say :  "  Cry  louder."  For  I  am  sure  they 
can  beat  the  prophets  of  Baal  and  give  them  a  decided 
numerical  majority,  at  least  two  to  one  I  imagine. 

Elijah  said  :  "  Cry  aloud,  for  he  is  a  god.  Either  he 
is  talking,  or  he  is  pursuing,  or  he  is  on  a  journey,  or  per- 
adventure  he  sleepeth  and  must  be  awaked."  And 
they  cried  aloud  and  cut  themselves  with  lancets  and 
knives  till  the  blood  gushed  out  upon  them. 

Now  it  is  an  admitted  fact  that  since  the  colored 
people  have  been  free  they  have  congregated  in  the 
cities,  towns  and  villages  in  the  South  in  great  num- 
bers, and  that  they  are,  as  Paul  said  of  the  Grecians, 
"  somewhat  superstitious,"  and  in  their  religious  wor- 
ship cry  aloud,  and  make  as  much  noise  as  these 
prophets  of  Baal  did. 

It  is  further  known  that  no  one  wants  to  live  near  one 
of  their  houses  of  worship.  Their  whoops  and  yells  go 
out  on  the  midnight  air  as  though  their  god  was  talk- 
ing, or  was  asleep  or  was  a  long  way  off.  In  very 
many  instances  I  fear  he  is  in  reality  a  long  way  off 


518  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

from  people  wno  gauge  their  religious  sincerity  and 
piety  by  the  noise  they  make. 

When  I  first  began  to  get  acquainted  with  the  donkey 
I  was  often  amused  at  his  vanity  and  egotism.  He  prides 
himself  on  his  musical  attainments.  To  hear  him  bray, 
you  would  think  from  the  swell  of  his  bass  notes  and  the 
way  he  dwells  on  the  unbroken  shriek  of  the  higher  parts 
of  his  peculiar  anthem,  that  he  was  as  large  as  an  ele- 
phant. To  hear  the  noise  this  little,  insignificant 
creature  can  make  is  simply  surprising.  They  are  very 
much  like  some  of  our  colored  preachers.  When  the 
wind  gets  out  of  them  there  is  nothing  left  but  a  little, 
long-eared,  bandy-shanked,  woolly  donkey,  actual  value 
two  dollars  and  a  half  a  dozen. 

But  laying  jesting  aside,  it  would  be  interesting  to 
know  what  peculiar  piety  or  sanctity  these  yelling 
preachers  and  laymen,  who  keep  whole  wards  and 
neighborhoods  awake  half  the  nignt,  think  there  is  in 
imitating  the  prophets  of  Baal,  as  though  their  god,  too} 
was  made  of  wood  or  stone,  or  was  a  hundred  miles 
away — it's  worse  than  heathenism. 

If  our  colored  friends  think  that  god  or  man  estimates 
their  religious  worth  or  their  degree  of  piety  by  the 
noise  they  make,  they  are  egregiously  mistaken.  They 
are  not  heard  for  their  much  (or  loud)  speaking.  The 
bible  nowhere  intimates  such  a  thing,  and  if  they  depend 
upon  this  I  am  of  the  opinion  they  will  come  out  as 
the  prophets  of  Baal  did,  i.  «.,  get  no  answer  to  their 
prayers. 

I  regard  it  as  impiety  and  sacrilegious  to  engage  in 
whooping  and  yelling  and  going  into  ecstacies,  trances, 
swoonings,  and  all  that  kind  of  heathen  worship  and 
offering  it  to  God  as  praise  and  adoration. 


AND  THE  HOLT   LAND.  519 

"We  read,  after  this,  Elijah  was  down  at  Mt.  Horeb, 
and  the  Lord  told  him  to  go  forth  and  stand  upon  the 
mountain  before  the  Lord.  And  behold  the  Lord 
passed  by,  and  a  great  and  strong  wind  rent  the  moun- 
tain and  brake  in  pieces  the  rocks  before  the  Lord. 
But  the  Lord  was  not  in  all  that  fuss  and  racket ;  he 
was  not  in  the  howl  of  that  wind.  And  after  the  wind 
there  was  an  earthquake,  nor  was  he  in  the  roar  of  the 
earthquake.  And  after  the  earthquake,  a  fire,  but  the 
Lord  was  not  in  the  fire.  But  after  the  fire  a  still 
small  voice,  and  when  Elijah  heard  it  he  didn't  go  into 
hysterics,  nor  a  trance,  in  which  he  was  carried  to  hell 
and  had  fights  with  dragons  and  all  such,  but  he 
wrapped  his  mantle  over  his  face  and  went  out. 

Now,  if  Christ  be  in  you  the  hope  of  glory,  if  God 
be  the  father  of  us  all,  worship  him  dec&rdly  and  in 
order.  Worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  sincerely, 
honestly,  faithfully — not  as  the  prophets  of  Baal. 

These  prophets  of  Baal  acted  just  as  you  do,  only  a 
little  worse.  They  cut  themselves  with  knives  and 
lances  and  jumped  upon  the  altar  and  rent  their  clothes, 
and,  in  short,  acted  more  like  maniacs  than  reasonable 
beings.  Now  see  how  differently  Elijah  worshipped 
his  God.  When  the  time  of  the  offering  of  the  even- 
ing sacrifice  arrived  Elijah  said  to  the  people  :  "  Come 
near  unto  me,"  and  they  did  so,  and  he  repaired  the  altar 
of  the  Lord  that  was  broken  down.  Elijah  took  twelve 
stones,  according  to  the  number  of  the  tribes  of  Israel, 
and  with  these  he  built  an  altar  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 
Then  Elijah  made  a  trench  around  the  altar  as  great  as 
would  contain  two  measures  of  seed.  (A  measure  of 
seed  would  hold  three  gallons  of  water.)  Therefore, 
this  trench  would  hold  about  six  gallons  of  water. 


520  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

Elijah,  after  erecting  the  altar,  digging  the  trench 
around  it  and  putting  the  wood  in  order,  cut  the  bul- 
lock in  pieces  and  laid  it  on  the  wood  and  said  :  "  Fill 
four  barrels  with  water  and  pour  it  on  the  burnt  sacri- 
fice and  on  the  wood."  In  Genesis  these  barrels  are 
called  pitchers.  These  people  had  no  such  barrels  as 
we  have,  but  they  used  the  same  kind  of  earthenware 
water  jars,  or  pitchers,  now  in  Palestine  that  were  in 
use  in  the  days  of  the  Savior  and  in  the  days  of  Elijah. 
They  hold  five  gallons  of  water  each. 

When  this  was  done  he  said:  "Do  it  the  second  time," 
and  they  did  so ;  then  he  said:  "  Do  it  the  third  time," 
and  they  did  it  the  third  time.  Now  there  could  be 
no  sham  in  this.  Elijah  had  them  to  bring  from  a 
beautiful  spring  near  by  sixty  gallons  of  water  and 
pour  it  over  his  sacrifice  and  altar.  So  much  water,  in 
fact,  that  it  ran  the  trench  over  and  ran  on  the  ground 
around  the  altar.  Everything  being  in  readiness,  Eli- 
jah offered  up  a  plain,  simple  prayer.  He  said:  "  Lord, 
God  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Israel,  let  it  be  known 
this  day  that  thou  art  God  in  Israel  and  that  I  am  thy 
servant  and  that  I  have  done  all  these  things  at  thy 
word. 

"  Hear  me,  O  Lord,  hear  me  that  this  people  may  know 
that  thou  art  the  Lord  God,  and  that  thou  hast  turned 
their  hearts  back  again."  I  ask  every  colored  minister 
who  reads  this  book  to  turn  to  this  simple  prayer  of  the 
prophets  which  the  people  had  "  to  come  near  him  to 
hear,"  but  which  God  heard  and  answered,  and  read  it 
over  and  over  and  then  read  all  the  story  as  you  find  it 
recorded  in  the  XVIII.  chapter  of  1st  Kings  and  judge 
for  yourself  whose  worship  yours  most  resembles. 
You  are  that  far  heathens,  and  acting  as  all  heathens  do, 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  521 

and  have  done.  They  do  the  best  they  know,  and  that 
is  all  that  a  just  and  merciful  god  requires  of  them.  His 
word  teaches  you  and  me,  however,  "  to  present  our 
bodies  allying  sacrifice,  holy  acceptable  unto  God,  which 
is  our  reasonable  service,"  wholly  unlike  hoodooism.  All 
Bible  readers  have  more  light,  more  knowledge  of  God 
and  what  he  requires  at  our  hands,  than  do  the 
heathens. 

Then  the  fire  of  the  Lord  fell  and  consumed  the 
offering,  the  wood  and  the  stones,  and  the  dust,  and 
licked  up  the  water  that  was  in  the  trench/'  And  if 
God  hadn't  put  it  out,  it  would  have  burned  up  a 
wicked  world.  "  And  when  the  people  saw  it,  they 
fell  on  their  faces  and  said:  "  The  Lord  he  is  the  God. 
The  Lord  he  is  the  God." 

Then  Elijah  ordered  the  prophets  of  Baal  to  be  taken 
(not  one  was  allowed  to  escape)  and  brought  them 
down  to  the  brook  Kishon,  which  I  told  you  runs  at 
the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  slew  them  there.  What 
a  fearful  responsibility  rests  upon  a  man  who  proposes 
to  teach  the  people  the  way  of  life  and  salvation 

Paul  says:  "  But  though  we  or  an  angel  from  heaven 
preach  any  other  gospel  unto  you  than  that  which  we 
have  preached  unto  you,  let  him  be  accursed." 

Paul  says  this  much  in  regard  to  men  who  pervert 
the  scriptures  and  say  it  teaches  thus  and  so,  whfen 
the  scriptures  do  not  teach  any  such  thing.  Men  did 
this  in  Paul's  day,  and  men  do  it  now  I  suppose,  and 
then  say:  "  God  called  them  to  teach."  "Well,  it's  none 
of  my  business.  They  and  God  for  it.  They  have  to 
account  to  him  for  what  they  teach,  not  to  men  nor 
angels.  Are  you  colored  preachers  teaching  your 
people  aright  ? 


522  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

These  prophets  of  Baal  had  forsaken  the  worship  of 
God  and  were  teaching  the  people  that  the  Lord  God 
was  not  God,  but  that  Baal  was  God,  and  that  they 
ought  to  worship  him. 

After  having  had  these  false  teachers  put  to  death 
Elijah  told  Ahab  to  get  up  and  eat  and  drink,  for  there 
was  a  sound  of  an  abundance  of  rain.  When  Ahab 
went  up  to  eat  and  drink,  Elijah  went  up  to  the  top  of 
Carmel  and  cast  himself  upon  the  earth  and  put  his 
face  between  his  knees  and  told  his  servant  to  go  up 
and  look  towards  the  sea.  He  did  so,  and  came  back 
and  reported  that  there  was  nothing.  He  sent  him 
again  and  again  till  seven  times.  When  he  came  back 
the  seventh  time  he  said :  "  Behold,  there  arises  a  little 
cloud  out  of  the  sea  like  a  man's  hand."  Then  Elijah 
said  to  his  servant:  "  Go  and  tell  Ahab  to  prepare  his 
chariot  and  get  down,  that  the  rain  stop  him  not." 

A  great  rain  fell,  and  we  are  further  told  that  Elijah 
girded  up  his  loins  and  ran  before  Ahab's  chariot  from 
the  mountain  yonder  across  this  twelve  miles  of  valley 
in  the  rain  and  mud  to  the  entrance  of  this  city,  Jezreel, 
near  where  we  now  stand. 

Why  Elijah  did  this  I  could  never  understand.  The 
only  explanation  given  of  it  is  that  "  the  hand  of  the 
Lord  was  upon  him."  Reader,  you  remember  when  we 
we're  in  Egypt  we  saw  this  custom  still  practised. 
Every  carriage  and  a  great  many  of  the  donkey  riders 
had  footmen  running  before  them. 

Now,  reader,  as  we  expect  to  lunch  at  Nam,  and  as 
we  will  want  to  take  a  look  at  the  site  of  old  Shunem, 
which  is  about  two  or  two  and  a  half  miles  from  here 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley  of  Jezreel,  we  must 
be  up  and  going. 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  523 

The  road  leading  from  Jezreel  (or  Zerim,  as  the  Arab 
village  is  now  called)  leads  along  what  would  seem  to 
be  a  natural  dividing  line  of  elevation  between  the  val- 
ley of  Esdraelon  on  the  left  or  west  and  the  valley  of 
Jezreel  on  the  right.  From  this  line  the  valley  of  Jezreel 
slopes  very  rapidly  to  the  Jordan,  Grhor,  and  the  brooks 
formed  by  the  springs  on  our  right  or  east  run  to  the 
Jordan,  while  those  on  our  left  or  west  of  us  gather  and 
form  the  creek  called  Kishon.  Near  the  centre  of  the 
valley  we  cross — and  a  bad,  muddy  crossing  it  is — the 
main  head  stream  of  Kishon.  About  a  mile  beyond 
this  creek  we  reach  the  site  of  the  old  town  Shunem. 
It  was  situated  on  a  stool  or  bench  of  land  projecting 
from  the  side  of  a  high  hill  or  small  mountain.  The 
mountain  upon  the  side  of  which  the  old  city  was  built 
was  called  by  Jerome  "  Little  Hermon,"  and  has  been 
so  called  since  his  day. 

The  road  leading  up  to  the  present  Arab  village  led 
us  between  cactus  hedges  which  grew  far  above  our 
heads.  On  reaching  the  village  we  were  saluted  by  a 
drummer,  and  as  we  found  quite  a  large  collection  of 
the  inhabitants  assembled  in  the  "  Broadway "  of  the 
village  we  felt  sure  that  something  more  than  ordinary 
had  occurred  or  was  upon  the  tapis.  So,  calling  up  our 
commissary  Ishmael,  who  (although  a  Nazarene)  could 
speak  very  fair  English,  we  asked  him  to  inquire  what 
had  or  was  about  to  occur  that  seemed  to  put  a  little 
life  in  these  indolent,  improvident  people. 

Ishmael  soon  informed  us  that  they  were  preparing 
to  celebrate  a  wedding  that  was  to  take  place  that  eve- 
ning. I  asked  to  be  shown  the  parties.  He  pointed  to 
a  tall  slim  young  man  dressed  for  the  occasion,  that  is, 
he  had  on  a  lonff  shirt  which  came  below  his  knees. 


524  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

The  shirt  was  either  a  new  garment  or  had  been 
recently  washed  _f or  the  occasion,  as  it  looked  to  be 
passably  clean.  This  constituted  his  full  dress.  His 
legs  and  feet  were  bare.  I  took  the  young  man's  pic- 
ture, but  not  of  his  face.  He  was  afraid  of  the  kodak, 
and  turned  his  face  from  me  as  I  touched  the  button. 
I  inquired  about  his  affianced  and  learned  that  she  was 
a  child  ten  years  old.  She  had  been  shut  up  in  a  dark 
mud  hut  for  ten  days,  no  one  being  allowed  to  see  her 
except  an  old  female  relative  who  carried  her  meals  to 
her. 

"When  the  time  for  their  marriage  arrives  she  will  be 
taken  out,  covered  from  head  to  foot  with  a  cashmere 
shawl,  and  placed  in  the  rear  of  a  procession  formed  by 
the  citizens  of  the  village,  etc.  I  think  I  have  described 
this  ceremony,  therefore  I  will  not  repeat  it  here. 

When  Ahab  told  Jezebel  all  that  Elijah  had  done 
at  Carmel  the  old  lady  got  on  a  high  horse  and  sent 
him  word,  saying  :  "  So  let  the  gods  do  to  me  and  more 
also  if  I  don't  make  thy  life  as  the  life  of  one  of  the 
prophets  you  have  slain  by  this  time  to-morrow." 

Now  here  is  a  funny  thing,  the  threat  of  this  old, 
infuriated  hag  scared  Elijah  so  that  he  arose  and  went 
for  his  life.  He  left  there  in  a  hurry ;  he  didn't  stop 
either  until  he  got  a  day's  journey  in  the  wilderness 
way  down  below  Beer-sheba.  Elijah  camped  down 
there  under  a  Juniper  tree,  and  an  angel  appeared  to 
him  there,  fed  him  and  sent  him  to  Mt.  Horeb  (Sinai). 

You  remember  the  mantle  of  Elijah  fell  upon  Elisha. 
You  also  remember  a  charitable  woman  who  once  lived 
in  the  old  city  that  occupied  this  site.  She  saw  Elisha 
coming  by  her  house  one  day,  invited  him,  or  rather 
constrained  him,  to  come  into  her  house  and  "eat  bread," 


AND  THE   HOLY    LAND.  525 

after  which  he  called  in  and  ate  as  often  as  he  passed 
that  way.  This  woman  proposed  to  her  husband  to  fit 
up  a  room  for  him,  and  put  a  bed,  and  a  table,  and  a 
stool,  and  a  candlestick  in  it,  so  that  when  he  came 
to  see  them  everything  would  be  in  readiness  for  him. 

These  good  people  fixed  up  a  room  for  the  "  man  of 
God  "  as  suggested,  and  it  happened  on  the  day  he 
came  and  went  into  his  room  and  laid  down  and  told 
Gehazi  "to  call  the  Shunemite  woman."  To  show  his 
appreciation  for  what  she  and  her  husband  had  done 
for  his  comfort,  he  asked  her  what  he  could  do  for  her 
in  the  way  of  soliciting  the  king  or  the  captain  of  the 
host  to  grant  any  request  she  might  make. 

She  told  Elisha  :  "  I  dwell  among  mine  own  people." 
Elisha  then  asked  his  servant  what  was  to  be  done  for 
her.  Gehazi  then  suggested  that  he  gladden  her  heart 
and  awaken  therein  the  womanly  instincts  and  the 
maternal  emotions  of  love  and  affection  which  had  lain 
dormant  in  her  breast  all  these  years  of  her  womanhood 
by  sending  a  ray  of  sunshine,  a  heaven-given  blessing, 
in  the  person  of  a  son  to  make  merry  the  household  and 
upon  whom  she  could  lean  in  the  declining  years  of  her 
life. 

In  after  years,  when  this  little  boy  was  old  enough  to 
go  out  in  the  field  where  his  father  and  the  reapers 
were,  he  was  taken  ill,  and  his  father  sent  him  from  the 
field  unto  his  mother.  The  mother  held  him  in  her  lap 
till  noon,  when  he  died. 

His  mother  took  him  up  into  Elisha's  room  and  laid 
him  upon  his  bed  and  went  out  and  shut  the  door. 
She  then  asked  her  husband  to  send  her  one  of  the 
young  men  and  a  donkey,  that  she  might  go  to  see 
Elisha  and  get  him  to  come  and  see  the  child.  She 


526  TEAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

went  and  found  him  at  Carmel,  and  when  she  told 
Elisha  that  the  child  was  dead  he  told  her  "  the  Lord 
had  not  revealed  it  to  him."  He  went  home  with  that 
broken-hearted  mother  and  raised  her  child  from  the 
dead  and  restored  it  to  the  arms  of  his  mother. 

It  was  here  that  Elisha  miraculously  supplied  the 
poor  widow  with  oil  enough  to  pay  a  creditor  who  was 
about  to  take  her  two  sons  to  have  them  u  bound  to  him 
till  the  debt  was  paid." 

Here  the  Philistines  gathered  their  army  to  fight 
against  Saul,  whose  army  was  camped  over  the  valley 
next  to  Gil  boa,  as  before  mentioned. 

These  associations  clothe  even  the  rocks  and  hills  of 
these  special  localities  in  this  old  land  of  the  bible  with 
an  interest  we  feel  for  no  other  localities  in  all  of  our 
journeyings  in  strange  lands. 


AND  THE   HOLY   LAND, 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

READER,  you  remember  when  we  were  down  at 
the  Jordan  I  showed  you  the  brook  Cherith,  and 
even  the  place  where  it  is  said  the  Lord  had  Elijah  fed 
by  the  ravens,  or  perhaps  it  should  be  by  the  Arabs, 
until  the  brook  dried  up. 

Then  the  Lord  told  him  to  come  to  Zarephath,  called 
by  Luke  Serepta,  and  dwell  there,  for  he  had  com- 
manded a  widow  woman  there  to  sustain  him.  Elijah  left 
Cherith  and  went  to  Serepta,  a  city  of  Zidon,  which 
was  located  over  on  the  Mediterranean  coast. 

When  he  reached  the  gate  of  the  city  he  saw  a  woman 
gathering  sticks,  and  he  said  :  "  Bring  me,  I  pray  thee, 
a  little  water  to  drink."  And  as  she  started  off  to  get 
the  water  "  he  told  her  to  bring  him  a  morsel  of  bread 
in  her  hand."  The  woman  told  him  that  she  didn't 
have  a  cake  of  bread  in  the  house,  and  only  a  handful 
of  meal  in  a  barrel  (earthen  pot)  and  a  little  oil  in  a 
cruse.  Then,  as  now,  the  people  of  that  country  used 
olive  oil  in  the  preparation  of  their  food.  "And  I  was 
gathering  two  sticks,"  she  said — it  would  appear  from 
this  remark  that  wood  or  fuel  was  scarce  in  Palestine 
even  at  that  remote  period — "that  I  may  go  in  and  dress 
it  for  myself  and  son,  that  we  may  eat  and  die."  Elijah 
told  her  to  fear  not,  but  go  and  do  as  she  had  said. 
But  first  to  make  him  a  little  cake  and  bring  it  to  him, 
and  then  make  for  herself  and  son.  "  For  thus  sayeth 
the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  the  barrel  of  meal  shall  not 
waste,  neither  shall  the  cruse  of  oil  fail  until  the  day 
that  the  Lord  sendeth  rain  upon  the  earth." 

527 


528  TEAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

"We  are  told  that  the  woman  did  as  he  told  her,  and 
that  she  and  Elijah  and  her  house  did  eat  many  days, 
and  the  barrel  of  meal  wasted  not,  neither  did  the  cruse 
of  oil  fail. 

After  this  the  son  of  this  woman,  the  mistress  of  the 
house,  was  taken  sick,  and  it  is  written  he  was  bad  sick, 
so  sick  in  fact  "  that  there  was  no  breath  left  in  him." 
He  couldn't  be  any  worse  than  that,  you  know;  he  was 
dead. 

This  mother  in  her  distress  charged  the  death  of 
her  child  to  Elijah,  and  accused  him  of  having  slain  her 
child  on  account  of  her  own  sin.  What  her  sin  was 
we  are  not  told.  Solomon  says :  "  The  wicked  flee  when 
no  man  pursueth."  This  woman's  conscience,  no  doubt, 
had  been  upbraiding  her  for  her  sin,  whatever  it  was, 
for  months,  perhaps  for  years,  and  she  was  ready  to 
believe  the  Lord  was  punishing  her  for  it  by  taking 
away  her  child. 

Elijah  prayed  to  the  Lord  to  restore  the  child  to  life 
again.  The  Lord  heard  and  answered  his  prayer  and 
"  the  child's  soul "  or  life  came  unto  him  again.  And 
Elijah  brought  him  to  his  mother  and  said  :  "  See,  thy 
son  liveth." 

Now,  reader,  it  is  pleasant  for  us  to  be  where  these 
miraculous  events  occurred  so  many  long  years  ago. 
"We  have  read  about  Elijah  and  Elisha  and  the  many 
wonderful  things  the  Lord  did  through  their  instru- 
mentality. Our  mothers  read  them  to  us  when  we 
were  children,  and  impressed  our  young  minds  with  the 
truth  of  them.  (God  bless  the  mothers  of  our  children.) 
But  never  did  they  make  such  an  impression  on  our 
minds  as  when  we  rode  through  the  land  and  saw  the 
places  where  God  told  Elisha  and  Elijah  and  others  of 


AND   THE   HOLT   LAND.  529 

his  prophets,  to  say  to  the  people,  or  say  to  a  certain 
king :  "  Thus  sayeth  the  Lord  God  of  Israel." 

"We  now  leave  the  places  where  these  two  illustnou 
prophets  lived  and  worked  and  labored  to  draw  the 
minds  and  hearts  of  the  children  of  Israel  from  the 
worship  of  idols  to  the  worship  of  the  true  and  living 
God,  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Israel. 

We  now  enter  upgn  the  land  where  our  Lord  spent 
his  boyhood  days,  and  where  so  many  incidents  of  his 
life  took  place. 

As  we  leave  Shunera  our  road  bears  northeast  along 
the  foot  of  the  hills  bordering  the  valley.  The  direct 
road  to  Nazareth  goes  northwest  across  the  valley, 
but  we  want  to  visit  old  Nain,  and  therefore  leave  the 
main  road  and  turn  to  the  right.  When  we  left 
Jezreel,  had  we  kept  the  direct  caravan  route  which 
runs  in  a  northwest  direction,  directly  across  the 
valley  to  Nazareth,  a  few  miles  from  Jezreel,  we 
would  have  passed  some  Arab  huts  at  a  place  called 
Tuleh.  In  the  time  of  the  Crusades  a  castle  stood 
there.  On  the  15th  of  April,  1799,  a  battle  occurred 
there  between  the  French  and  the  Turks.  Kebler  had 
marched  the  French  army  from  Nazareth  and  was 
posted  at  Tuleh  with  his  corps  of  about  fifteen 
hundred  men,  and  kept  in  check  the  Syrian  army, 
composed  of  two  thousand  five  hundred,  until  rein- 
forced by  Napoleon  with  six  hundred  men.  The 
Syrians,  thinking  Kebler  was  being  re-inforced  by  a 
large  army,  took  to  flight.  Many  were  killed  and  many 
drowned  —  a  small  water  brook  in  their  rear  being 
overflowed  at  the  time.  After  this  battle  of  Tabor, 
as  it  was  called,  Napoleon  supped  at  Nazareth,  where 


530  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

we  expect  to  spend  the  Sabbath,  i  e.,  to-morrow,  as 
we  will  reach  there  this  afternoon. 

In  skirting  along  the  foot  of  tne  hills  between 
Shunem  and  Nain,  our  road  turns  almost  east.  We 
find  here  an  arm  of  the  valley  running  down  toward 
the  Jordan,  separating  the  hills  now  on  our  right 
from  the  hills  of  Nazareth. 

A  few  miles  from  Shunem  we  climb  a  hill  and  see 
on  our  right  a  small  village  composed  of  rough  stone 
and  mud  houses,  and  near  these  a  small  stone  church 
located  on  the  north  side  of  the  hill  near  the  top. 
This  is  the  site  of  Nain.  One  mile  north  of  it,  just 
across  the  arm  of  the  valley,  rises  Mt.  Tabor. 

We  learn  that  upon  one  occasion  Jesus  and  many  of 
his  disciples  were  coming  from  Capernaum  to  the  city 
of  Nain,  and  when  they  drew  near  the  gate  of  the 
city  they  met  a  funeral  procession.  The  people  were 
carrying  a  dead  man,  the  only  son  of  his  mother,  out 
to  bury  him.  And  when  Jesus  saw  this  distressed, 
weeping  mother,  he  had  compassion  on  her,  and  said  : 
"  Weep  not."  Jesus  walked  to  the  bier  and  touched 
it,  and  the  men  who  were  carrying  it  stopped,  and 
Jesus  said :  "  Young  man,  I  say  unto  thee,  Arise." 
At  his  word  this  young  man,  "  he  that  was  dead  sat  up 
and  began  to  speak.  And  he  delivered  him  to  his 
mother." 

Now  we  learn  that  the  old  city  of  Nain  stood 
here  on  the  slope  of  this  hill.  We  learn  furthermore 
that  it  was  a  walled  city  having  one  or  more  gates. 
From  the  location  of  the  city,  however,  I  infer  that 
there  was  but  one  gate,  as  in  all  other  directions  except 
from  the  north  the  approach  to  the  city  would  be  down 
the  steep  declivity  of  the  mountain  side. 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  531 

Adjoining  the  little  stone  church  is  a  room  erected 
for  the  accommodation  of  pilgrims.  In  this  room  we 
partook  of  the  lunch  spread  for  us  by  Abdul,  who  had 
this  department  of  our  outfit  in  charge. 

The  only  biblical  interest  associated  with  this  old 
site  is  the  miracle  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  which  I  have 
just  related.  While  we  regard  the  performance  of 
miracles  by  the  Savior  at  this  day  and  time  as  one 
of  the  least  of  the  evidences  of  his  divinity,  yet  during  his 
stay  upon  earth,  and  to  the  people  to  whom  he  came, 
and  to  whom  he  declared  himself  to  be  the  promised 
Messiah  of  whom  the  prophets  had  spoken,  it  was  nec- 
essary that  he  prove  himself  to  them  as  he  did  to  John 
the  Baptist  when  he  sent  messengers  to  him  saying : 
"  Art  thou  he  that  should  come  or  do  we  look  for 
another?"  "He  said,  Go  and  shew  John  again  those 
things  which  ye  do  hear  and  see."  "  The  blind  receive 
their  sight  and  the  lame  walk.  The  lepers  are  cleansed 
and  the  deaf  hear.  The  dead  are  raised  up  and  the 
poor  have  the  gospel  preached  to  them.  And  blessed 
is  he  whosoever  shall  not  be  offended  in  rne." 

Some  seven  hundred  and  fifty  years  before  the  advent 
of  "  The  Christ "  Isaiah  said :  "  And  he  shall  be  for  a 
sanctuary,  but  for  a  stone  of  stumbling  and  for  a  rock 
of  offense  to  both  the  houses  of  Israel  and  for  a  gin  and 
for  a  snare  to  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem."  This 
and  other  similar  prophecies  throw  light  upon  the  last 
part  of  the  message  the  Savior  returned  to  John. 

We  now  ride  across  the  arm  of  the  valley  referred  to, 
and  reach  the  foot  of  Mt.  Tabor.  As  seen  from  Nain 
it  is  an  isolated  mountain  in  the  form  of  a  dome  which 
rises  ten  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  table-land 
which  surrounds  it  in  every  direction  except  upon  the 


532  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

south  and  southeast.    Its  summit  is  about  two  thousand 
feet  above  the  Mediterranean. 

Tabor  was  situated  on  the  frontier  of  the  tribes  of 
Issachar  and  Zebulun  and  allotted  to  the  Levites.  The 
plateau  which  forms  its  summit  was  the  site  of  a  town 
named  Tabor,  about  200  B.  C.  About  fifty  years  after 
the  birth  of  Christ,  a  battle  was  fought  here  between 
the  Romans  and  the  Jews.  After  this  Josephus  caused 
the  place  to  be  fortified  and  enclosed  with  a  wall. 

The  plateau  on  its  summit  contains,  as  has  been 
estimated,  some  five  or  six  hundred  acres  of  land,  cov- 
ered with  ruins  of  cities  of  former  periods.  On  the 
plateau  the  Greeks  and  Latins  each  have  a  monastery, 
and  each  claim  that  their  monastery  covers  the  exact 
locality  where  the  transfiguration  took  place.  "We 
read  :  "  And  after  six  days  Jesus  taketh  with  him  Peter 
and  James  and  John,  and  leadeth  them  up  into  a  high 
mountain  apart  by  themselves,  and  he  was  transfigured 
before  them,  and  his  raiment  became  shining,  exceeding 
white  as  snow ; "  whiter  than  they  could  have  been 
made,  the  record  says,  by  any  bleaching  process  on 
earth. 

"  And  there  appeared  to  them  Elias  and  Moses,  who 
talked  with  Jesus."  The  disciples  were  greatly  alarmed 
and  Peter,  who  was  always  ready  to  talk,  said  : 
"  Master,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here.  Let  us  make 
three  tabernacles,  one  for  thee,  one  for  Moses,  and  one 
for  Elias."  It  is  said  in  the  scriptures  that  Peter  was 
so  much  alarmed  that  he  didn't  know  or  realize  the 
purport  of  what  he  said.  A  cloud  then  descended  and 
overshadowed  them,  and  a  voice  from  out  of  the  clouds 
said :  "  This  is  my  beloved  son,  hear  ye  him." 

This  may  be  the  mount  of  transfiguration,  Origen  and 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  533 

St.  Jerome  both  speak  of  Tabor  as  the  scene  of  the 
transfiguration.  The  bible  does  not  tell  us  what  moun- 
tain it  was  upon  which  he  led  his  three  disciples.  From 
the  top  of  this  mountain  lake  Tiberius  is  visible,  and  in 
the  extreme  distance  the  mountains  of  Ilauran,  ancient 
Bashan,  mark  a  blue  line  along  the  horizon.  The 
mountains  of  Gilead  are  in  plain  view.  Toward  the 
south  Nain  and  Endor  come  in  view.  Toward  the 
southwest  we  view  the  battlefield  of  Barak  and  Sisera. 
Above  all  presides  the  majestic  Hermon. 

"  On  the  day  of  transfiguration  this  glorious  landscape 
was  forgotten  or  unheeded  by  the  three  friends  of  the 
son  of  Mary,  as  a  sublimer,  grander  and  more  awe- 
inspiring  scene  was  passing  before  them.  "  They  gaze 
in  speechless  admiration  as  they  see  his  face  and  gar- 
ments clothed  in  a  strange  light  growing  brighter  and 
brighter,  beautiful  and  yet  more  beautiful,  until  the 
man  has  changed  to  a  god.  Heaven  came  down  to 
earth.  Moses,  too,  in  Canaan  at  last." 

We  ride  along  on  the  north  side  of  the  valley  going 
west,  leaving  Tabor  behind  us.  A  mile  further  we 
strike  the  main  road  which  comes  through  the  valley 
from  Jezreel.  We  take  this  road  turning  north  up  a 
high,  rough  hill.  The  road  on  this  hill-side  at  one  time 
was  paved,  and  portions  of  the  old  pavement  are  seen 
here  and  there  as  we  climb  the  rugged  steep  of  the 
mountain.  Soon  after  reaching  the  plateau  we  come 
to  the  old  town  of  Nazareth. 

Remnants  of  paved  roads  and  other  public  improve- 
ments made  by  the  Romans  during  their  occupation  of 
this  country  are  to  be  seen  here  and  there  all  over 
Palestine. 

This  city,  so  intimately  associated  with  the  life  of 


534  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

our  Savior,  is  not  mentioned  in  the  old  bible,  and  dur- 
ing the  days  of  the  Savior  -was  an  unimportant  village. 

The  name  Nazarene  was  used  as  an  epithet  of 
derision,  first  to  Christ  himself,  and  then  to  his  disciples. 
When  Philip  found  Nathaniel  and  said  unto  him,  "We 
have  found  him  of  whom  Moses  in  the  law  and  the 
prophets  did  write,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  son  of 
Joseph,"  Nathaniel  answered  :  "  Can  there  any  good 
thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  ? " 

The  little  village  must  have  had  a  bad  reputation 
at  that  time. 

The  modern  town  is  built  on  the  site  of  the  old  vil- 
lage. It  is  situated  in  a  basin  or  slight  depression  on 
the  south  slope  of  the  mountain  called  Jebil-es-Sikh. 
The  bulk  of  the  houses  of  Nazareth  are  svell-built 
stone  structures.  It  has  a  population  of  five  or  six 
thousand,  composed  of  Mohammedans,  orthodox 
Greeks,  Latins,  Marionites,  and  a  few  Protestants. 
"  Most  of  the  inhabitants  are  farmers  and  gardeners. 
Some,  however,  are  engaged  in  handicrafts,  and  in  the 
cotton  and  grain  trade." 

We  are  now  in  camp  on  the  southern  side  of  the 
town.  The  town,  therefore,  lies  in  the  main  between 
our  camp  and  the  higher  portion  of  the  mountain  which 
rises  several  hundred  feet  above  the  town  in  its  rear. 

Seven  hundred  and  fifty-two  years  before  the  birth 
of  Christ  we  find  in  the  Book  of  Isaiah  this  language  : 
"  Therefore  the  Lord  himself  shall  give  you  a  sign. 
Behold  a  virgin  shall  conceive  and  bear  a  son  and  shall 
call  his  name  Emanuel,  God  with  us."  The  apostles 
tell  us  that  when  Joseph  was  espoused  to  Mary  the 
angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  to  Joseph  and  told  him  not 


AND  THE   HOLT   LAND.  535 

to  fear  to  take  Mary  to  wife,  that  her  conception  was 
of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Another  of  the  apostles  states  that  the  angel 
appeared  to  her  and  said :  "  Hail,  thou  art  highly 
favored..  The  Lord  is  with  thee,  blessed  art  thou 
among  women."  This  salutation  troubled  her,  for  she 
didn't  comprehend  its  meaning.  Then  the  angel  said  : 
"  Fear  not,  Mary,  for  thou  hast  found  favor  with  God. 
Behold  thou  shalt  conceive  and  bring  forth  a  son  and 
shall  call  his  name  '  Jesus.'  He  shall  be  great  and  shall 
be  called  the  son  of  the  Highest.  And  the  Lord  God 
shall  give  unto  him  the  throne  of  his  father  David,  and 
he  shall  reign  over  the  house  of  Jacob  forever,  and  of 
his  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end." 

Mary  asked  "  how  this  thing  could  be."  And  the 
angel  said:  "  The  Holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee  and 
the  power  of  the  Highest  shall  overshadow  thee.  There- 
fore also  that  holy  child  which  shall  be  born  of  thee 
shall  be  called  the  son  of  God." 

Now,  reader,  we  will  take  a  stroll  up  town.  "We  go 
north  and  enter  the  broad  market  street  of  the  town, 
and  before  we  have  gone  very  far  we  observe  the  Latin 
hospice  on  our  left  and  a  monastery  on  our  right. 
Within  the  lofty  walls  of  this  monastery  we  find  the 
"  Church  of  the  Enunciation."  This  church  was  com-" 
pleted  in  its.present  form  in  1730,  and  is  twenty-three 
yards  long  and  sixteen  wide.  The  vaulting  overhead 
in  the  main  body  of  the  church  rests  on  four  large 
arches  borne  by  four  massive  pillars.  On  each  side  are 
two  altars.  The  high  altars  on  each  side,  which  are 
ascended  by  marble  steps,  are  dedicated  to  the  angel 
Gabriel.  A  handsome  flight  of  fifteen  steps  descends 
to  a  vestibule  called  the  "  Angels'  Chapel."  On  the 


536  TBAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

righthand  sme  of  the  vestibule  is  the  altar  of  St. 
Joachim,  "  an  abbot  who  lived  in  the  12th  century," 
and  who  protested  with  prophetic  denunciation  against 
the  many  and  gross  abuses  connected  with  the  assump- 
tion of  authority  on  the  part  of  the  church."  On  the 
left,  that  of  the  angel  Gabriel. 

Between  these  two  altars  is  the  entrance  to  the  Chapel 
of  Annunciation,  to  which  two  steps  ascend.  This 
chapel  has  two  small  rooms ;  the  first  is  called  the  Chapel 
of  Enunciation  and  contains  an  altar,  and  at  the  back 
of  the  altar  an  inscription  which  reads  thus  :  "  Here 
the  Word  was  made  flesh."  Immediately  to  the  left  of 
the  entrance  of  the  chapel  are  two  columns.  One  of 
these  is  said  to  mark  the  spot  where  the  angel  stood 
when  he  visited  Mary.  This  column  is  called  the  column 
of  Gabriel.  St.  Luke  tells  us  that  Gabriel  was  the 
angel  which  visited  Mary  on  that  occasion.  The  other 
column,  distant  about  two  feet  from  Gabriel's  column, 
is  called  "column  of  Mary."  Here  is  where  Mary 
stood,  or  is  said  to  have  stood,  when  she  received  the 
angel's  message. 

A  fragment  of  a  column  may  be  seen  depending  from 
the  ceiling,  and  is  said  to  be  miraculously  supported 
above  the  precise  spot  where  she  stood  at  the  time. 
The  rock  underneath  this  chapel  is  now  richly  overlaid 
with  fine  marble  slabs,  and  covers  the  space  of  ground 
where  the  virgin's  house  is  said  to  have  stood. 

The  original  house  in  which  she  lived  is  said  to  have 
been  carried  off  by  angels  to  prevent  its  being  desecrated 
by  the  Mohammedans.  The  angels,  it  is  said,  carried 
it  to  Dalmatia,  and  from  there  to  Loretc  in  Italy,  where 
it  may  now  be  seen,  and  where  it  is  visited  annually  by 
numerous  credulous  pilgrims. 


AND  THE  HOLT  LAND.  537 

In  1471,  during  the  pontificate  of  Paul  II.,  the 
Church  of  Rome  confirmed  this  miracle.  They  confirm 
or  affirm  anything  that  suits  them.  Adjoining  the 
Chapel  of  Enunciation  is  a  dark  chamber  called  the 
Chapel  of  Joseph.  Over  the  altar  in  this  chamber  we 
find  another  inscription  which  reads,  "  Here  he  became 
subject  to  them." 

In  the  rear  of  these  chapels  we  ascend  a  flight  of  stone 
steps  cut  in  the  native  rock  which  leads  us  to  a  small 
cave  or  an  artificial  grotto,  I  don't  know  which,  in  the 
rock.  The  walls,  ceiling  and  floor  are  all  of  rough  stone. 
In  the  ceiling  overhead  is  a  round  hole  some  eighteen 
or  twenty  inches  in  diameter.  This  room  is  said  to 
have  been  Mary's  kitchen.  The  hole  in  the  top  was  for 
the  escape  of  the  smoke,  I  suppose.  The  stone  steps 
leading  up  to  the  kitchen  are  very  much  worn.  Whether 
from  usage,  or  whether  cut  in  this  way  to  deceive 
visitors  who  go  to  Nazareth  to  see  what  can  be  seen 
connected  with  the  house  of  Joseph  and  Mary  when  our 
Savior  was  a  boy,  I  am  not  able  to  say.  I  think  it  is 
as  likely  the  one  as  the  other. 

This  monastery  now  contains  about  twenty-five 
monks,  chiefly  Italians  and  Spaniards. 

Upon  one  occasion  Jesus  was  talking  to  the  people  of 
Nazareth  in  the  synagogue,  saying  :  "  The  spirit  of  the 
Lord  is  upon  me  because  he  hath  anointed  me  to  preach 
the  gospel  to  the  poor.  He  hath  sent  me  to  heal  the 
broken-hearted,  to  preach  deliverance  to  the  captives, 
and  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind.  To  set  at  liberty 
them  that  are  bruised,  to  preach  the  acceptable  year  of 
the  Lord." 

After  reading  this,  he  closed  the  book  and  handed  it 
to  the  minister  and  said :  "  This  day  is  this  scripture 


538  TRAVELS  IN   EGYPT 

fulfilled  in  your  ears."  He  then  talked  to  the  people 
and  they  wondered  at  his  gracious  words  and 
"asked  each  other,  Is  not  this  Joseph's  son?" 
The  Savior  told  them  they  would  say  to  him  :  "  Phy- 
sician, heal  thyself.  Do  here  what  we  have  heard  you 
did  in  Capernaum."  But  he  told  them  :  "  No  prophet 
is  accepted  in  his  OAvn  country."  He  told  them  that 
there  were  many  widows  in  Israel  in  the  days  of  Elias, 
when  the  heavens  were  shut  up  for  three  years  and  six 
months,  but  that  he  was  sent  only  to  the  widow  of 
Serepta.  And  many  lepers  also  in  Israel  in  the  days 
of  the  prophet  Elisha;  but  that  none  of  them  were 
cleansed  except  Naaman,  the  Syrian.  These  things 
made  the  people  mad  and  they  rose  up  and  drove  him 
from  the  city  and  led  him  to  the  brow  of  the  hill  upon 
which  the  city  was  built  (which  place  they  claim  to 
know  and  to  show  you),  that  they  might  throw  him 
headlong  over  the  bluff.  Jesus  seems  to  have  paid  but 
little  attention  to  their  threats,  but  went  his  way. 

I  learned  that  there  was  but  one  fountain  of  water 
in  Nazareth.  So  I  felt  sure  when  I  went  to  this  foun- 
tain I  would  at  least  see  the  spring  where  Mary  and 
her  boy  often  went  for  water.  When  we  reached  the 
place,  however,  we  found  it  covered  by  a  church.  The 
old  sexton  raised  a  small  round  stone  some  four  inches 
in  diameter  under  the  altar,  exposing  a  round  hole 
through  the  stone  floor.  Through  this  he  let  down  a 
small  tin  bucket  about  the  size  of  a  pound  oyster  can 
(and  looking  very  much  like  an  old  oyster  can),  with 
which  he  drew  up  enough  water  to  give  us  all  a  drink. 

The  water  from  this  spring  is  conducted  through  an 
underground  aqueduct  and  empties  into  a  large  stone 
%vat  called  Mary's  well,  some  hundred  yards  lower  down 


AND  THE   HOLT   LAND.  539 

the  street.  Here  arrangements  have  been  made  so  as 
to  furnish  ample  accommodations  to  the  inhabitants 
for  filling  their  waterpots  and  watering  their  stock. 

In  this  country  women  carry  all  the  water  for  the 
use  of  the  family  on  their  heads  in  five-gallon  earthen- 
ware pots.  They  place  a  small  pad  on  the  top  of  their 
heads  upon  which  they  set  the  water  jar,  and  learn  to 
balance  them  so  as  to  carry  them  any  required  distance 
without  having  to  hold  them  with  their  hands. 

I  thought  it  in  poor  taste  to  cover  with  a  church  this 
bold  spring  which  gushes  out  of  the  mountain  side, 
sending  forth  its  bright,  sparkling,  cheery  waters  down 
the  mountain,  forming  a  succession  of  beautiful  cascades 
as  it  leaps  merrily  from  stone  to  stone,  a  beautiful 
reminder  of  the  illustration  used  by  the  Savior  when 
speaking  to  the  Samaritan  woman  at  Jacob's  well  of  that 
living  water,  of  which  if  a  man  drink  he  shall  never 
thirst.  This  spring  is  called  Mary's  well  or  spring,  also 
Jesus'  spring.  The  church  which  covers  it  is  an  ortho- 
dox Greek  church,  also  called  Church  of  Enunciation. 

The  mountain,  whose  summit  rises  seventeen  hundred 
and  eighty  feet  above  sea  level,  towering  majestically 
above  the  little  town  which  nestles  on  its  side,  com- 
mands a  fine  survey  of  the  valley  of  Nazareth.  "  Over 
the  top  of  a  lesser  mountain  looking  east  peeps  the 
green  and  cultivated  Tabor."  To  the  south,  little 
Hermon  and  the  great  plain  of  Esdrselon.  To  the 
southwest  Carmel,  to  the  north  a  beautful  plain  called 
El  Buttauf,  beyond  which  in  the  midst  of  a  confused 
range  of  hills  rises  Mt.  Hermon. 

This  mountain,  in  the  rear  of  the  city  of  Nazareth 
(now  called  by  the  natives  En  Nasira),  is  called  Jebel-es- 
Sikh. 


540  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

Not  far  from  this  spring  we  were  shown  a  house 
upon  the  site  of  which  stood  Joseph's  workshop.  It  may 
have  been,  I  am  sure  the  bible  doesn't  tell  us  where  it 
was  located,  hence  there  is  no  way  of  knowing  just 
where  it  stood. 

"We  can  visit  the  synagogue  in  which  Christ  is  said  to 
have  taught;  the  place  has  been  pointed  out  as  its 
location  since  570  A.  D.  It  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
the  United  Greeks.  In  another  house  across  the 
market  on  the  west  side  of  the  town  we  were  shown,  a 
hard  chalk  stone,  eleven  and  a  half  feet  long,  nine  and 
one-half  broad,  on  which  Christ  is  said  to  have  dined 
with  his  disciples.  The  Latins  have  inscribed  on  it 
that  "  this  fact  has  been  handed  down  by  an  unbroken 
tradition,  etc."  This,  however,  may  be  but  another 
one  of  the  legion  of  falsehoods  written  and  spoken  in 
this  Catholic  and  Moslem  country. 

We  spent  a  Sabbath  day  at  Nazareth.  Our  tents 
were  thronged  with  Nazarenes  from  morning  till 
night.  During  religious  services  which  were  held  in 
our  dining  tent  and  conducted  by  brother  John  Mitch- 
ell, or  papa,  as  we  learned  to  call  him,  a  good  old 
bachelor  brother  from  North  Carolina,  these  people 
surrounded  the  tent  and  showed  very  plainly  that  they 
were  astonished  and  had  no  conception  as  to  what  we 
were  doing.  The  idea  of  worshiping  God  as  a  congre- 
gation without  the  ritualism,  trappery  and  tom- 
foolery in  use  among  the  Christless  Christians  among 
whom  they  lived  was  a  thing  entirely  new  to  them. 
The  Moslems  do  not  worship  in  congregations.  As  I 
have  before  stated,  their  mosques  being  the  property  of 
all,  they  enter  them  at  any  and  all  times,  perform  their 
ablution  and  say  their  prayers.  Every  man  prays  for 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  541 

himself.  He  doesn't  pray  for  anybody  else,  nor  does 
he  ask  nor  want  anybody  else  to  pray  for  him.  In 
theory  and  practice  the  religion  of  Mohammed  is 
strictly  a  personal  ritualism  based  upon  rewards  and 
punishments. 

While,  here  we  had  the  pleasure,  pleasant  on  account 
of  its  novelty^,  of  joining  a  marriage  procession. 

A  large  plateau  of  ground  here  was  covered  by  pil- 
grims' tents,  for  the  most  part  Catholics  from  France 
and  other  countries,  who  make  annual  pilgrimages  to 
the  Holy  Land. 

Monday  morning  we  left  Nazareth  and  took  up  our 
Indian  file  line  of  march  for  the  lake  of  Galilee.  We 
are  now  riding  over  a  road  that  we  know  has  been 
often  pressed  by  the  feet  of  "Jesus  of  Nazareth." 
About  a  mile  from  Nazareth  we  pass  on  the  right  a 
large  spring.  Here  we  see  the  neighboring  women 
filling  their  waterpots,  and  again  we  hear  the  cry  for 
"  backshee,  backshee." 

We  have  scarcely  seen  a  man,  woman  or  child  since 
we  entered  this  God-forsaken  country  but  what  has 
sung  in  our  ears  the  cry  for  "  backshee"  (Give  me 
something). 

The  hills  and  tablelands  around  this  despised  city  are 
very  rich  and  productive,  and  have  more  undergrowth 
and  pasturage  than  the  hills  farther  south.  Often  in 
life,  when  reading  the  old  bible,  the  thought  would  pre- 
sent itself,  "  How  could  that  little  country,  Palestine, 
sustain  such  an  immense  population  as  was  spoken  of 
as  inhabiting  it  ? " 

It  is  no  marvel  to  me  now.  The  inhabitants  of  this 
old  country  are  living  now  very  much  as  they  did  dur- 
ing the  days  of  Solomon.  Elijah  asked  the  widow  of 


542  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

Serepta  for  a  little  cake  and  water.  That  constituted 
his  simple  repast.  "When  Joseph's  brethren  had  left 
him  in  the  pit  they  sat  down  "  to  eat  bread."  Bread 
and  water  satisfies  this  people.  They  eat  to  live,  unlike 
many  of  our  people  who  seem  to  want  to  live  to  eat  and 
drink  and  be  mSrry. 

One  evening  while  in  Palestine  we  were  camped  for 
the  night  near  a  village.  Soon  after  reaching  camp  I 
noticed  an  old  Arab  woman  sitting  under  a  porch  before 
her  door  baking '  bread.  Having  a  curiosity  to  see 
the  process  I  walked  over  to  her  house.  A  savage, 
wolfish  dog  forbade  my  approaching  the  house,  but  the 
old  lady  called  out  some  kind  of  an  Arab  word  to  him 
which  the  dog,  being  a  better  linguist  than  I  was, 
seemed  to  understand,  for  he  left  off  his  threats  and 
warlike  demonstrations  and  I  gained  admission.  The 
cook  oven  was  a  hole  dug  'out  in  the  rock  in  the  form 
of  a  jug.  It  was  sixteen  inches  in  diameter  and  eighteen 
or  twenty  inches  deep.  This  oven  was  heated  by  build- 
ing a  fire  in  the  bottom  and  covering  over  the  top  to 
retain  the  heat,  only  allowing  enough  air  to  enter  the 
chamber  to  support  combustion.  When  the  oven  is 
heated  sufficiently  the  dough  is  patted  into  thin  cakes, 
not  much  thicker  than  blotting  paper,  and  spread  over, 
a  cushion.  This  cushion  is  made  for  the  purpose  ;  it  is 
some  eight  inches  in  diameter  and  on  one  side,  i.  e.,  on 
the  side  opposite  to  that  on  which  the  dough  is  spread, 
has  a  hand-hold.  With  this  arrangement  the  cook 
reaches  down  into  the  oven  and  slaps  the  cake  of  dough 
on  the  side  of  the  hot  oven.  By  the  time  another  cake 
is  ready  to  be  put  into  the  oven  the  first  is  ready  to  be 
taken  out. 

It  looks  like  perpetual  motion  to  see  one  of  these  old 


AND  THE   HOLY   LAND.  54:3 

experienced  cooks  putting  in  and  taking  out  these  thin 
cakes.  I  watched  this  old  wizard  (for  she  looked  like  I 
imagined  one  would  look)  put  in  and  take  out  these 
wafers  till  she  had  a  pile  a  foot  high.  They  looked 
like  a  pile  of  circular  filtering  papers  such  as  druggists 
use. 

These  are  sold  by  a  stone's  weight.  They  use  a  rude 
kind  of  scales  (home  made)  and  have  rocks  of  different 
sizes  for  weights.  Bread  is  said  to  be  the  staff  of  life. 
It  certainly  is  in  Palestine. 

Soon  after  leaving  Nazareth  we  see  a  little  to  the 
northwest  of  the  road  the  village  of  El-Meshhed  which 
is  said  to  be  on  the  site  of  ancient  Gath-Hepher,  a 
town  in  the  territory  of  Zebulon,  where  we  learn  that 
the  prophet  Jonah,  the  son  of  Amittai,  lived.  His 
tomb  is  shown  here. 

A  short  distance  further  on  we  reached  a  small  Arab 
village,  situated  on  a  rocky  ridge,  a  small,  insignificant 
place.  It  is  said  here  stood  the  old  village  of  Cana. 
We  read  that  here  on  one  occasion  Jesus  and  Mary,  his 
mother,  and  his  disciples  were  invited  to  a  marriage 
feast.  Some  writers  on  Oriental  customs  "give  loose 
bridle  to  their  imagination  and  describe  the  marriage 
ceremony  among  these  peasant  people  as  quite  a 
romantic  affair.  After  seeing  one  of  these  marriages  I 
confess  I  can  see  no  place  for  the  romance  to  come  in, 
and  I  have  read  enough  of  the  Old  Testament  scriptures, 
and  have  seen  enough  of  the  manners  and  customs  of 
these  people,  to  convince  me  they  are  about  the  same 
as  when  our  Savior  went  to  the  marriage  feast  at  Cana. 

But  anyway,  Jesus  and  his  mother  went  to  the^mar- 
riage  and  when  they  wanted  wine  it  seems  they  had 
none,  having  consumed  what  they  had  on  hand  at  the 


544  TRAVELS  IN  EGYPT 

beginning  of  the  feast ;  at  least  we  read  that  "  when 
they  wanted  wine,  the  mother  of  Jesus  sayeth  unto 
him,  They  have  no  wine.  Jesus  saith  unto  her, 
Woman,  what  have  I  to  do  with  thee  ?  Mine  hour  is  not 
yet  come. "  This  seems  to  us  like  a  strange  answer  for 
Jesus  to  make  to  his  mother.  But  we  find  that  this 
expression  had  been  in  common  use  since  the  days  of 
David  and  perhaps  before  his  time. 

"When  Shimei  cursed  and  threw  stones  at  David  when 
driven  from  Jerusalem  by  Absalom,  Abishai,his  servant, 
asked  David  to  let  him  go  over  and  take  the  head  off  the 
dead  dog.  David  said  :  "  What  have  I  to  do  with  you, 
ye  sons  of  Zeruiah  \ " 

Jesus  addressed  his  mother  the  same  way  when  on 
the  cross,  saying  :  "  Woman,  behold  thy  son."  Mary 
told  the  servants  who  were  waiting  on  the  guests  u  to 
do  whatsoever  he  told  them."  There  were  in  the  house 
six  waterpots  of  stone,  which  contained  two  or  three 
firkins  apiece."  One  firkin  equals  eight  gallons.  Jesus 
told  the  servants  to  fill  them  to  the  brim  with  water. 
Then  he  said  to  the  servants :  "  Draw  out  now  and  carry 
a  glass  to  the  governor  of  the  feast."  When  he  tasted 
it  he  told  the  bridegroom  it  was  the  custom  generally 
for  the  guests  on  such  occasions  to  be  given  the  best 
wine  at  the  beginning  of  the  banquet  and  "  when  men 
have  well  drunk,"  i.  e.,  when  they  become  somewhat 
intoxicated  so  that  they  couldn't  tell  good  wine  from 
bad,  to  then  give  them  a  second  or  third  rate  article. 
"  But  you  have  saved  the  best  for  the  last." 

This  governor  of  the  feast  pronounced  the  wine  made 
by  Jesus  of  the  water  a  first-class  article,  not  knowing 
who  made  it.  It  has  been  said  that  Jesus  made  this 
large  quantity  of  wine  so  that  what  was  not  used  by 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  545 

the  guests  could  be  sold  by  the  newly-married  couple 
and  the  proceeds  would  be  a  sufficient  sum  to  give 
them  a  little  start  in  the  world. 

Now  I  can't  believe  this  for  a  moment.  In  the  first 
place,  I  am  of  the  opinion  this  wine  was  not  an  intoxi- 
cant, but  this  is  merely  an  opinion.  In  the  next  place, 
we  don't  know  how  many  guests  there  were  at  the  feast 
to  be  supplied.  And  in  the  third  place,  the  only  money 
ever  made  by  Jesus  during  his  life,  so  far  as  we  have 
any  account  of,  or  so  far  as  the  records  show,  was 
when  he  sent  Peter  down  to  the  sea  of  Galilee  and 
told  him  to  cast  a  hook  and  take  the  first  fish  which  he 
caught,  and  look  in  its  mouth,  and  he  would  find  a 
piece  of  money  with  which  to  pay  the  tribute  money 
for  both  of  them.  In  the  next  place,  I  am  sure  the 
Savior  was  too  well  acquainted  with  our  human  nature 
to  think  of  giving  a  young  married  man  a  start  with 
wine,  for  God  only  could  know  where  he  would  land. 
We  have  seen  a  good  many  young  men  take  that  start, 
and  as  a  rule  they  land  at  one  of  three  places  stationed 
at  the  other  end  of  the  road ;  these  three  terminii  are 
the  penitentiary,  the  gallows,  or  a  pauper's  grave. 

I  am  aware  that  a  learned  minister  and  writer 
recently  advanced  this  opinion.  Such  an  opinion,  how- 
ever, places  the  Savior  in  the  attitude  of  a  liquor 
dealer,  and  as  setting  an  example  to  modern  saloon 
keepers.  It  will  not  do  to  say  he  did  not  manufacture 
an  intoxicant,  nor  did  he  sell  it.  This  learned  divine  says 
the  Savior  intended  for  the  newly-married  man  to  sell 
it  and  to  appropriate  the  proceeds  to  his  own  use.  All 
this  is  imagination,  conjecture  and  bosh,  unreliable  and 
misleading.  All  we  know  about  this  circumstance  is 
what  the  scriptures  tell  us,  and  from  them  we  learn  no 


546  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

such  a  cock-and-bull  story  as  the  above.  The  statement 
makes  Jesus  a  wholesale  dealer  and  the  newly-married 
man  a  retail  dealer. 

I  had  rather  write  a  plain  statement  of  facts  as  far 
as  I  can  learn  them,  even  if  they  do  not  read  so  well, 
than  to  write  imaginative  speculations  having  no  foun- 
dation in  truth,  perverting  the  scriptures. 

While  it  was  at  this  little  village  that  our  Lord  per- 
formed his  first  miracle,  that  of  converting  water  into 
wine,  it  was  not  the  only  time  he  exercised  the  power 
of  performing  miracles  given  into  his  hands  by  the 
Father  at  this  place. 

We  learn  on  another  occasion  he  came  into  Cana  of 
Galilee,  and  a  certain  nobleman,  who  lived  up  near  the 
northern  extremity  of  the  sea  of  Galilee  at  an  old  town 
which  once  stood  there  named  Capernaum,  went  up  to 
Cana  to  see  Jesus.  This  nobleman  had  a  son  very  ill, 
and,  having  more  confidence  in  the  Savior  than  some  of 
us  have  now,  went  out  to  Cana  to  see  him.  He  went 
to  Jesus  and  besought  him  to  come  down  to  Capernaum 
and  heal  his  son,  for  he  was  at  the  point  of  death. 
Jesus  said  unto  him  :  "  Except  ye  see  signs  and  wonders 
ye  will  not  believe."  Just  like  many  people  at  the 
present  day. 

And  the  nobleman  said  :  "  Sir,  come  down  ere  my 
child  die."  "  Jesus  sayeth  unto  him,  Go  thy  way,  thy 
son  liveth."  This  man  believed  and  went  his  way,  and 
as  he  was  going  down  to  his  house  he  met  his  servants, 
who  told  him  that  his  son  was  better.  He  asked  him 
when  the  change  in  his  condition  took  place,  and  they 
told  him  on  yesterday  at  the  seventh  hour.  Then  the 
father  knew  that  it  was  at  the  same  time  that  Jesus 
told  him  «  Thy  son  liveth." 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  547 

This  miracle  convinced  tne  nobleman  and  his  house- 
hold that  he  was  the  Christ.  Now,  reader,  we  know 
that  Christ  was  here,  so  we  have  the  pleasure  of 
knowing  that  we  are  not  only  in  the  Holy  Land,  but 
we  are  looking  at  the  hills  and  valleys  which  He  not 
only  made,  but  over  which  He  traveled,  and  upon 
which  His  eyes  rested,  and  where  He  taught  sinful 
mortals  such  as  we  the  way  of  life  and  salvation. 
And  while  we  are  traveling  the  earthly  road  he 
traveled  let  us  determine  by  his  help  to  follow  in  the 
example  of  His  life,  and  listen  to  His  words  of 
wisdom,  which,  if  we  will  do,  will  make  us  wise  unto 
salvation. 

But  Ishmael  has  sounded  his  tin  horn  for  us  to 
mount  and  move  on.  In  many  of  the  Eastern  cities  the 
drivers  of  omnibuses  and  street  cars  use  tin  horns  to 
notify  the  people  to  clear  the  track  and  give  the  right 
of  way.  Our  dragoman  found  it  very  convenient  in 
giving  notice  to  all  the  party  when  to  mount,  and 
when  to  take  up  the  line  of  march.  Everywhere  the 
inhabitants,  and  more  especially  the  children,  flocked 
to  the  roadside  to  beg,  "backshee,  backshee." 

I  think  these  Arab  mothers  teach  their  infants  to 
ask  for  backshee  before  nursing  them.  When  the 
little  imps  can't  say  "  backshee "  they  hold  out  their 
little  dirty  hands  to  beg. 

A  few  miles  from  Cana  we  passed  through  a  pretty 
valley  in  which  were  several  nice  wheat  (corn)  fields. 
Tradition  locates  the  field  through  which  the  Savior 
and  his  disciples  were  traveling  on  the  Sabbath  day  in 
this  valley  and  on  this  road.  We  read  that  it  came  to 
pass  that  he  went  through  the  corn  fields  and  his 
disciples,  being  hungry,  plucked  the  heads  of  wheat, 


54:8  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

which  the  overrighteous  Pharisees  told  them  was 
unlawful.  Jesus  cited  them  to  an  instance  when 
David  went  into  a  house  of  God  and  eat  the  shew 
bread  of  which  it  was  unlawful  for  any  to  eat  except 
the  priests,  and  gave  of  it  also  to  them  who  were  with 
him,  and  then  shut  up  their  officiousness  by  telling  them 
that  the  Sabbath  was  made  for  man  and  not  man  for 
the  Sabbath.  I  wonder  what  they  thought  of  that 
new  doctrine? 

This  was  an  effort  on  the  part  of  the  Savior  to  take 
them  out  of  their  hypocritical,  sanctimonious,  pharisai- 
cal  robes,  and  to  put  a  little  common  sense  in  their 
heads. 

Near  here  Saladin  defeated  the  Franks  in  1187, 
thereby  giving  a  death  blow  to  their  power  in  Pales- 
tine. The  Knights  were  sold  as  slaves,  and  the  Templars 
and  Hospitallers  put  to  death.  •"  The  Grand  Master 
of  the  Templars  was  slain  by  Saladin  himself,  on  account 
of  his  having  broken  faith  with  him." 

A  few  miles  further  on  we  ascend  a  high  mountain 
to  the  left  of  the  road.  Here  we  find  our  lunch  tent 
and  a  good  repast  in  waiting.  The  tent  having  been 
pitched  on  the  slope  or  side  of  the  mountain,  I  rode 
past  the  tent,  and  had  my  gray  pony  to  climb  the 
precipitous  cone  to  the  summit.  I  was  now  on  the 
summit  of  Karn  Hattin,  the  mountain  of  beatitudes. 

The  road  from  Oaanan  to  Galilee  runs  through  a 
very  fertile  country  comprising  table-lands  and  valleys. 
There  is,  comparatively  speaking,  but  little  of  it  in  cul- 
tivation, and  we  saw  but  few  flocks.  In  fact,  the 
country  immediately  around  this  beautiful  lake  seems 
to  be  almost  deserted. 

From  the  summit  of  the  mountain  we  get  a  beautiful 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  549 

view  of  the  north  part  of  the  lake  and  the  surrounding 
country.  To  the  north  we  see  the  Lebanon  mountains  • 
to  the  west,  Tabor ;  northeast,  the  northern  extremity 
of  the  lake. 

This  is  a  peculiar  country.  Many  of  the  hills  are 
covered  with  basalt.  Vegetation  is  very  luxuriant. 
The  highlands  are  very  fertile  and  in  large  plats  or 
tracts,  water  in  abundance.  The  altitude  renders  the 
climate  delightful.  This  is  said  to  be  the  mountain  on 
which  the  Savior  preached  that  memorable  sermon 
which  we  find  recorded  in  the  5th,  6th  and  7ch  chapters 
of  Matthew's  gospel. 

He  had  been  going  over  Galilee  preaching  the  gospel 
of  the  kingdom  and  teaching  in  the  synagogues,  and 
healing  all  manner  of  sickness  and  every  disease  found 
among  the  people.  His  fame  had  gone  out  through  all 
Syria,  and  they  had  brought  in  all  their  sick,  lame  and 
palsied,  and  even  the  insane,  and  such  as  they  believed 
were  possessed  with  devils,  and  he  healed  them. 

Great  multitudes  had  gathered  in  from  all  parts  of 
the  surrounding  country,  from  Decapolis  and  Jerusalem 
and  other  parts  of  Judea,  and  from  beyond  the  Jordan, 
to  see  and  hear  him.  Jesus,  seeing  what  a  great  mul. 
titude  had  gathered  together,  went  up  into  a  mountain 
and  sat  down,  with  his  disciples  around  him.  And  he 
opened  his  mouth  and  preached  a  sermon,  such  as  one 
sent  from  God  only  could  preach. 

Never  had  these  people  heard  such  things  before. 
And  if  mankind  would  follow  out  the  lessons  inculcated 
in  that  sermon,  we  would  have  no  use  for  criminal  laws, 
court-houses,  penitentiaries  or  jails.  Mankind  would 
be  knit  and  bound  together  in  one  common  brother- 
hood, a  brotherhood  cemented  into  one  united  whole 


550  TEAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

by  the  spirit  and  unity  of  love  to  God  and  our  fellow 
man.  "All  would  love  God  with  the  whole  heart, 
mind,  soul  and  strength,  and  his  neighbor  as  himself." 

Tradition  locates  the  feeding  of  five  thousand  with 
the  five  loaves  and  two  fishes  on  this  same  mountain. 
This,  however,  is  mere  guesswork.  No  one  knows  on 
what  mountain  the  sermon  was  preached,  or  on  what 
mountain  the  five  thousand  were  miraculously  fed 

And  what  matters  it  whether  we  know  which  par- 
ticular one  of  these  beautiful  mountains  that  surround 
the  lake  was  thus  honored  ?  He  made  them  all.  They 
are  the  work  of  his  hands.  It  is  not  the  mountain  that 
was,  is  and  will  ever  be  a  blessing  to  mankind,  but  the 
loving  words  of  the  loving  Savior  uttered  by  him  some- 
where near  the  shores  of  this  beautiful  sea  of  Galilee. 


AND  THE  HOLY  LAND. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

TpROM  the  mount  of  beatitudes  we  traverse  a  high 
J-  ridge  running  east  to  the  hill  which  overlooks 
the  town  of  Tiberius  and  the  sea  of  Galilee. 

From  this  point  we  are  by  the  roadway  three  miles 
from  Tiberius,  and  by  the  time  we  wind  first  one  way 
and  then  another  down,  down,  all  the  while,  we  begin 
to  realize  how  far  below  the  surrounding  country  is  this 
pretty  little  sea. 

The  old  town  lies  on  a  narrow  plain  between  the 
lake  and  the  hill  in  the  rear.  We  ride  by  the  town, 
our  road  having  brought  us  into  the  plain  above  the 
little  walled  city.  I  never  saw  just  such  a  little  old 
dirty  one-horse  town  as  this  walled  in  before.  We 
found  our  tents  being  pitched  about  half  a  mile  below 
the  town,  between  the  town  and  the  hot  springs  which 
come  out  from  beneath  the  mountain  a  few  hundred 
yards  below  us.  • 

The  town  of  Tiberius  was  founded  by  Herod  A.  D. 
20  and  named  for  the  Roman  Emperor  Tiberius.  It 
has  a  population  of  about  fifteen  hundred,  more  than 
half  of  whom  are  red-headed,  blue-eyed  Jews. 

When  Herod  founded  this  city  here  and  was  con- 
structing foundations  for  the  public  buildings  he  found 
that  it  had  once  been  a  burial-place.  And  as,  according 
to  Jewish  law,  contact  with  graves  defiled  a  person 
for  seven  days,  but  few  Jews  could  be  persuaded  to 
live  there.  Herod  was  therefore  obliged  to  people  it 
chiefly  with  foreigners,  scalawags,  soreheads  and  beg- 
gars. I  think  all  or  nearly  all  of  the  first  two  ele- 

551 


552  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

ments  of  society  in  this  noted  place  have  died  out,  leav- 
ing it  in  full  and  undisputed  possession  of  the  beggars. 
Tiberius  is  a  noted  place,  not  because  it  has  been 
brought  into  notoriety  by  the  bible  or  by  any  miracu- 
lous events  ever  having  occurred  here,  but  it  is  noted  all 
the  same.  Every  tourist  and  every  traveler  who  vis- 
its it  can  bear  testimony  to  its  being  noted  for  fleas, 
filth,  sore-eyed  Jews  and  beggars. 

It  is  one  of  the  few  towns  one  sees  that  excites  their 
sympathy.  It  looks  pitiful.  It  looks  like  it  was 
"  nobody's  child."  One  intuitively  puts  his  hand  into 
his  pocket  to  give  it  a  penny.  The  ladies  want  to 
wash  it,  put  clean  clothes  on  it  and  comb  its  head. 
Poor,  deserted  little  one,  left  all  alone  at  the  water's 
edge  of  the  lake  of  Galilee  to  perish  and  die 

The  first  of  January,  1837,  a  terrible  earthquake 
rocked  and  damaged  the  walls  of  the  city  very  seriously 
and  killed  about  one-half  of  the  population.  In  633 
the  Catholics  built  a  church  here  and  then  said  this 
was  the  place  where  Simon  Peter  and  his  companions 
Brought  to  shore  the  miraculous  draught  of  fishes.  You 
know  Peter  and  several  of  the  disciples  had  been 
out  fishing  and  caught  nothing.  When  the  morning 
was  come  they  saw  Jesus  standing  on  the  shore.  He 
asked  them  what  luck  they  had,  had  they  caught  any 
fish  ?  They  answered  him  no.  Jesus  told  them  then  to 
cast  their  net  on  the  other  side  of  the  boat.  They  did  so 
and  made  a  big  haul ;  so  many  they  were  not  able  to 
draw  in  the  net. 

This  occurred  here  on  this  lake,  but  there  is  no  evi- 
dence that  it  occurred  here  at  Tiberius  any  more  than 
elsewhere.  St.  Peter  is  to  the  Catholic  what  the  angel 
Gabriel  is  to  the  Mohammedan. 


AND  THE   HOLY   LAND.  553 

Soon  after  reaching  camp  in  company  with  several  of 
the  party,  I  walked  down  the  graveled  shore,  passed 
the  bath-house  into  which  the  hot  water  from  one  of  the 
springs  is  conducted,  and,  finding  a  suitable  retired  place, 
took  a  bath  in  the  clear,  clean,  bright,  sparkling  water 
of  this  lovely  little  inland  sea. 

We  find  the  water  colder  than  we  expected,  but 
refreshing.  "  It's  awful  nice,"  as  the  girls  say. 

The  name  of  this  lake  was  anciently  Keneret  or 
Kenerot.  In  the  time  of  the  Maccabees,  i.  e.,  in  the 
2d  century,  it  was  called  Gennezar,  or  Gennesaret. 
Its  length  is  sixteen  miles  and  its  width  from  four  to 
seven  and  a  half.  It  is  somewhat  of  an  oval  shape.  Its 
surface  is  six  hundred  and  twenty  feet  below  that  of  the 
Mediterranean.  Its  greatest  depth  is  one  hundred  and 
sixty  feet.  These  are  the  dimensions  and  figures  given 
by  Lieutenant  Linch. 

The  hills  surrounding  the  lake  are  moderate  in  height 
when  considered  in  connection  with  the  general  face  of  the 
country,  but  rise  to  almost  mountains  above  the  surface 
of  the  lake,  and  are  enlivened  by  the  luxuriant  vegeta- 
tion and  a  few  small  villages  to  be  seen  in  the  dis- 
tance ;  unlike  the  silent,  still,  gloomy  appearance  of 
the  Dead  Sea.  One  standing  upon  the  beach  of  the 
Dead  Sea  feels  like  he  were  in  the  presence  of  death, 
so  barren  and  desolate  are  its  surroundings.  The  scene 
here  is  smiling,  cheerful  and  enlivening.  But  you  must 
leave  out  of  this  view  the  cancerous  spot  Tiberius,  for 
it  is  the  only  thing  that  mars  the  scene. 

We  saw  but  one  sail-boat  on  the  lake  this  afternoon. 
This  deep  basin  is  frequently  visited  by  sudden  and 
severe  storms.  These  hot  springs  could  be  made  very 
valuable  as  a  remedial  agent  in  many  diseases,  but,  like 


554:  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

all  other  valuable  resources  to  be  found  in  Palestine, 
they  can  never  be  made  available  while  the  country  is 
in  the  hands  of  its  present  occupants. 

There  are  several  of  these  springs  flowing  from 
beneath  this  hill  near  each  other,  making  a  group  vary- 
ing in  temperature,  furnishing  a  very  abundant  supply 
of  water,  the  temperature  of  which  varies  from  one 
hundred  and  thirty-one  degrees  to  one  hundred  and 
forty-two  degrees  Fahrenheit. 

The  hills  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  lake  are  occupied 
by  the  Bedouins,  and  are  not  safe  to  be  visited.  We 
learn  from  the  gospels  that  this  lake  was  once  navi- 
gated by  numerous  boats.  But  we  now  see  only  a 
few  indifferent  fishermen's  sail-boats  on  its  bosom. 

We  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  afternoon  in  wan- 
dering up  and  down  the  gravelly  beach,  contemplating 
the  wonderful  things  done  by  our  Savior*  on  and 
around  this  lovely  lake. 

Here  he  walked  upon  the  water  in  the  midst  of  this 
sea.  Here  he  commanded,  and  its  winds  and  waves 
obeyed.  He  again  commanded,  and  the  finny  tribe 
which  dwell  therein,  forgetting  the  instincts  of  their 
nature,  in  multitudes  crowded  into  and  broke  the  net 
of  the  astonished  and  confounded  fisherman,  so  that  he 
fell  on  his  knees  and  exclaimed  :  "  Depart  from  me,  for 
I  am  a  sinful  man,  O  Lord." 

We  left  camp  early  the  next  morning,  our  route 
leading  us  up  the  lake.  We  passed  the  deserted  child, 
Tiberius,  leaving  it  on  the  right.  Our  road,  or  rather 
path,  runs  some  thirty  or  forty  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea,  which  gave  us  a  fine  view  of  the  sea  and  the 
hills  bordering  the  opposite  shore. 

As  I  rode  leisurely  along  the  shore  I  endeavored  to 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  555 

locate  the  place  where  I  thought  it  probable  that  the 
herd  of  two  thousand  hogs  ran  down  the  hill  and 
drowned  themselves.  We  read  that  when  Jesus  came 
to  the  other  side  of  this  lake,  into  the  country  of  the 
Gergesenes  or  Gadarines,  there  met  him  two  persons 
possessed  with  devils  coming  out  of  the  tombs,  exceed- 
ingly fierce,  so  that  no  one  could  pass  that  way  in 
safety.  When  they  saw  Jesus  they  cried  out,  saying : 
"  What  have  we  to  do  with  thee,  Jesus,  thou  Son  of 
God  ?  Art  thou  come  hither  to  torment  us  before  the 
time  ? "  "  And  there  was  a  good  way  off  an  herd  of 
swine  feeding,  so  that  the  devils  in  the  men  besought 
him,  saying,  If  thou  cast  us  out  suffer  us  to  go  away  to 
the  herd  of  swine.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Go.  And 
they  came  out  of  -the  men  and  went  into  the  herd  of 
swine,  and  the  whole  herd  ran  violently  down  a  steep 
place  into  the  sea  and  perished  in  the  waters." 

Now,  are  we  to  refuse  to  accept  this  as  a  fact,  as  an 
incident  in  the  life  of  our  Lord,  which  occurred  just  over 
on  the  opposite  shore  of  this  lake,  simply  because  we 
have  no  such  talking  devils  dwelling  in  men  at  this  day 
and  time,  and  because  we  never  saw  or  met  with  such 
devils  as  these  ?  For  one  I  am  willing  to  believe,  yet 
not  seeing.  I  do  not  want  to  see  any  such  devils  as 
those.  And  if  I  knew  that  there  were  such  devils  over 
on  that  shore,  whether  in  men  or  hogs,  I  would  be  for 
leaving  here  in  a  hurry. 

The  dumb,  silent,  sneaking  devils  that  live  in  men 
in  this,  the  nineteenth  century,  are  bad  enough,  and  I 
have  no  desire  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  such  as  can 
run  a  hog  crazy  and  make  him  drown  himself.  What 
demoniacal  passions  must  have  been  excited  in  the 
breasts  of  these  two  excited  men,  who,  in  their  mad- 


556  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

ness  and  raving,  broke  fetters  and  chains,  and  cut 
their  flesh  with  stones. 

St.  Mark,  in  his  narrative  of  this  circumstance,  says 
soon  after  Jesus  landed  he  was  met  by  a  man  coming 
out  of  the  tombs  having  an  unclean  spirit.  St.  Luke 
states  it  as  one  man  who  had  devils  a  long  time  and 
wore  no  clothes,  neither  abode  in  any  house,  but  in 
tombs.  All,  however,  say  when  the  man  saw  the  Son 
of  God  his  voice  cried  out,  saying :  "  What  have  we  to 
do  with  thee,  Jesus,  thou  Son  of  God  ?  Art  thou  come 
hither  to  torment  us  before  the  time  ? " 

I  have  thought  much  about  the  real  physical  condition 
of  this  class  of  people,  so  frequently  mentioned  in  the 
bible,  especially  in  the  gospels,  as  being  possessed  of 
devils  or  unclean  spirits.  I  am  aware  that  the  ancients 
believed  that  insanity,  epilepsy,  catilepsy,  St.Vitus' 
dance,  and  all  this  class  of  nervous  diseases,  of  which 
they  in  reality  knew  nothing  except  their  manifestations 
or  symptoms,  were  wholly  due  to  the  influence  of 
indwelling  demons,  devils,  etc. 

I  am  satisfied  also  that  they  regarded  the  irrational 
incoherent  conversation  of  the  insane  as  the  language 
of  the  demons  themselves.  But  in  this  instance  some 
new  features  are  presented.  It  seems  that  there  was 
something  in  this  man  which,  when  transferred  by 
divine  power  into  a  lot  or  herd  of  swine,  not  only  crazed 
them,  but  engrafted  upon  their  dull,  obtuse  mental 
faculties  a  suicidal  insanity  which  seems  to  have  per- 
vaded all  alike,  as  the  whole  herd  "  ran  violently  down 
a  steep  place  into  the  sea  and  perished  in  the  water." 

There  can  be  no  question  but  that  there  was  some- 
thing more  in  this  particular  case  than  the  mere  curing 
of  a  case  of  insanity  by  a  word  ;  something  more  than 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  557 

a  re-enthronement  of  a  dethroned  reason  by  the  pres- 
ence and  divine  influence  of  the  son  of  God.  His 
influence  and  superhuman  power  not  only  removed  a 
local  disease  from  this  poor  man's  brain,  thereby 
re-establishing  and  restoring  the  faculties  of  the  mind  to 
their  normal  condition,  but  it  went  further  and 
implanted  a  suicidal  insane  impulse  in  the  brain  of  a 
coarse,  brutal  herd  of  swine  to  the  extent  of  determin- 
ing their  immediate  self-destruction. 

We  know  no  more  of  the  strange  and  mysterious 
connection  between  mind  and  matter  than  we  do 
between  soul  and  body,  if  indeed  they  be  not  the 
same.  When  we  approach  this  subject  we  realize  that 
there  is  a  horizon  beyond  which  human  knowledge 
cannot  go.  And  when  I  consider  this  miraculous  cir- 
cumstance from  this  standpoint  I  am  forced  to  the 
conclusion  that  no  unaided  human  power  could  accom- 
plish this  wonderful  transfer  of  diseases  and  mental 
derangement. 

We  are  unavoidably  driven  to  acknowledge  that 
Christ  was  more  than  human,  that  he  was  the  "  Son 
of  God,"  and  as  such  endowed  with  superhuman  pow- 
ers ;  or  we  must  deny  the  witnesses  and  say  that  the 
whole  thing  is  a  fabrication  of  designing  men. 

We  find  many  fine  springs  at  the  foot  of  the  hills, 
but  I  am  told  that  some  of  them  are  salt  springs,  the 
water  being  unfit  for  use.  About  two  miles  up  the 
lake  from  Tiberius  we  pass  on  a  small  plain  a  misera- 
ble village  called  Medgel.  This  is  the  old  Magdala,  the 
birthplace  of  Mary  Magdalene,  who,  in  my  opinion,  had 
Chorea,  or  St.  Vitus'  dance,  but  who  was  said  to  have 
had  seven  devils  cast  out  of  her.  Every  now  and  then 
as  we  proceed  up  the  lake  we  find  sacred  trees ;  the 


558  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

branches  being  thick  set  with  rags  and  shreds  of 
cloth. 

Near  Magdala  the  hills  recede  westward  from  the 
lake,  and  we  cross  a  plain  through  which  runs  quite  a 
large  creek.  The  caravan  route  from  Damascus  to 
Nazareth  runs  up  this  valley.  About  two  miles  up 
this  creek,  on  the  lefthand  side  of  the  valley,  lie  the 
rains  of  an  old  castle.  The  almost  perpendicular  cliffs 
here  are  eleven  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  height.  The 
castle  consists  of  caves  in  the  sides  of  the  cliff  connected 
by  passages  and  protected  by  walls.  Within  the 
enclosure  were  several  cisterns. 

This  stronghold  was  at  one  time  the  haunt  of 
robbers.  "  Herod  the  Great  besieged  them  here,  but 
only  succeeded  in  reaching  and  destroying  them  by 
letting  soldiers  down  the  cliff  in  cages  by  means  of 
ropes  to  the  mouths  of  the  caverns." 

At  Magdala  begins  the  plain  of  ancient  Genesar, 
one  mile  wide  and  about  three  miles  long,  the  creek 
above  referred  to  running  through  it.  From  this  plain 
the  lake  took  its  ancient  name,  Gennesaret. 

This  plain  is  not  in  cultivation,  although  the  soil  is 
extremely  fertile  and  well  watered  by  numerous 
springs.  The  banks  of  the  lake  and  the  brook  are 
fringed  with  oleanders,  many  of  them  as  high  as 
our  heads  on  horse-back  and  very  luxuriant.  Numer- 
ous springs  and  brooks  from  the  plains  and  valleys 
west  of  us  discharge  their  waters  into  the  lake.  What 
a  lovely  location  this  is !  On  the  northern  extremity 
of  the  plain  of  Gennesaret  we  reach  the  ruins  of 
Bethsaida,  where  our  tents  are  pitched. 

But  little  of  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  city  are  now 
to  be  seen.  We  know,  however,  that  the  place  was 


AND   THE  HOLT   LAND.  559 

frequently  visited  by  our  Savior.  We  know  further- 
more that  it  was  the  home  of  Peter,  Andrew  and 
Philip.  "  Now  Philip  was  of  Bethsaida,  the  city  of 
Andrew  and  Peter." 

I  infer  from  what  is  said  in  the  24th  verse  of  the 
17th  chapter  of  Matthew  that  Peter  after  this  moved 
up  to  Capernaum,  and  that  the  Savior  was  living  with 
him,  for  it  reads  thus :  "And  when  they  were  come  to 
Capernaum  they  that  received  tribute  money  came  to 
Peter  and  said,  Doth  not  your  Master  pay  tribute  3 " 

This  is  the  only  instance  of  which  we  have  any 
account  that  money  was  ever  demanded  of  the  Savior 
or  of  hisjever  having  an  occasion  to  use  money,  nor 
did  he  convert  water  into  wine  and  install  Peter  as  a 
bar-keeper  to  sell  it  to  get  the  money  he  needed  to  pay 
tribute  with. 

We  go  beyond  our  tents  and  pass  a  marshy  piace 
which  seems  to  be  full  of  springs,  as  quite  a  brook 
carries  the  accumulated  water  into  the  lake.  After 
crossing  this  our  route  rises  on  the  side  of  the  hill  some 
considerable  height  above  the  surface  of  the  lake,  a 
narrow,  deep  way  resembling  a  conduit  for  water  hav- 
ing been  cut  down  into  the  rock.  This  passway  is 
about  three  feet  wide  and  from  two  to  four  feet  deep. 
We  pass  through  it,  and  soon  reach  a  copious  stream 
which  turns  a  mill.  Our  route  continues  to  skirt  the 
lake,  and  some  three  or  four  miles  further  on  we  reach 
Tell-Hum,  the  site  of  old  Capernaum. 

On  the  bank  of  the  lake  we  find  one  building  to  some 
extent  preserved.  In  the  midst  of  the  ruins  of  the 
ancient  city  which  lie  scattered  in  every  direction  rises 
the  remains  of  a  beautiful  ancient  structure,  twenty- 
five  yards  long  and  eighteen  yards  wide,  composed  of 


560  TBAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

large  blocks  of  white  stone  resembling  marble.  Frag- 
ments of  columns,  bases,  and  Corinthian  capitols  and 
other  remains  lie  scattered  around  in  wild  confusion. 
Some  think  this  must  have  been  a  Jewish  synagogue, 
and  the  one  built  by  the  centurion.  Upon  one  occasion 
when  Jesus  entered  Capernaum  "  a  certain  centurion's 
servant  who  was  dear  to  him  was  sick  and  ready  to 
die.  When  he  heard  that  Jesus  had  come  to  the  city 
he  sent  the  elders  of  the  Jews  to  see  Jesus  and  request 
him  to  come  and  heal  his  servant.  The  elders  went  to 
Jesus  and  told  him  their  mission,  and  said  further  that 
the  centurion  was  "  a  worthy  man,"  that  he  loved  their 
nation  and  had  built  them  a  synagogue.  ^ 

The  same  authority  tells  me  of  Jesus  that  told  me 
that  these  old  cities  stood  here  on  the  bank  of  this  lake 
two  thousand  years  ago.  And  now,  reader,  here  we 
see  with  our  own  eyes  the  places  where  they  stood,  and 
enough  of  the  remains  and  ruins  of  the  old  buildings  to 
confirm  the  testimony  of  the  witnesses  beyond  the 
question  of  a  doubt.  Who,  after  seeing  what  we  have 
seen,  can  say  otherwise  than  as  did  Nicodemus :  "  Rabbi, 
we  know  that  thou  art  a  teacher  come  from  God,  for 
no  man  can  do  these  miracles  that  thou  doest  except 
God  be  with  him."  We  also  know  that  the  record  is 
true,  for  this  beautiful  lake,  its  hills  and  vales,  its  foun- 
tains, its  brooks  and  rippling  streams  declare  it. 
God  himself  says  :  "  This  is  my  beloved  son."  How 
dare  man  call  God  a  liar  ? 

The  same  authority  which  tells  us  that  the  city  of 
Capernaum  once  stood  on  the  shore  of  this  lake  tells  us 
it  was  the  home  of  Peter,  Philip  and  Andrew,  and  that 
Jesus  here  paid  tribute.  It  tells  us  that  this  same 
Jesus  said :  "Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin.  Woe  unto  thee, 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  561 

Bethsaida,  and  thou,  Capernaum,  which  art  exalted  unto 
heaven,  shall  be  brought  down  to  hell."  "We  see  the 
ruin  and  desolation  to  which  they  have  been  brought. 
Is  it  not  of  itself  enough  to  remove  all  doubts  and  com- 
pel us  to  say  as  did  Thomas  :  "  My  Lord  and  my  God  ?  " 

About  the  year  600  a  church  stood  here  which  was 
said  to  stand  upon  the  site  of  Peter's  house. 

"From  the  ruins  of  this  deeply  humiliated  city"  we 
gladly  turn  our  faces  to  the  south  and  take  in  the 
grand  and  beautiful  scene  which  lies  before  us  :  Galilee 
surrounded  by  lofty  verdant  hills,  the  white  sails  of  the 
fishermen's  boats  floating  quietly  upon  its  surface; 
God  everywhere  present.  The  cheering  sunlight 
reflected  upon  the  bosom  of  the  waters  testify  of  him. 
These  silent  rock-ribbed  hills  tell  us  they  have  seen  him. 
manifested  in  the  flesh.  The  gentle  breezes  whisper 
his  name,  and  the  rippling  murmur  of  the  running  rills 
sing  their  songs  of  praise  to  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

We  now  retrace  our  steps,  and  as  we  near  our  camp 
we  see  a  fisherman  standing  out  in  the  edge  of  the  lake 
'  casting  his  net." 

He  is  catching  quite  a  number  of  nice,  large  white 
and  speckled  perch,  just,  as  I  imagine  Peter  and 
Andrew  used  to  do.  Our  commissary  buys  enough  to 
give  us  a  mess  for  supper  and  breakfast.  At  the  morn- 
ing meal  I  laid  the  bones  of  one  aside  for  an  esteemed 
friend  at  home  who  said  to  me  before  I  left  home  :  "  If 
you  eat  a  fish  caught  out  of  the  sea  of  Galilee,  bring  me 
the  bones."  I  told  him  I  would,  and  I  did. 

Our  party  agreement  calls  for  another  bath  in  the 
lake  this  afternoon,  but  I  decline  and  prefer  wandering 
around  among  the  ruins  of  this  ancient  city  and  secur- 
ing a  few  souvenirs  in  the  way  of  kodak  pictures.  I 


562  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

will  take  one  of  the  narrow  pass  cut  into  the  rocky 
cliff.  Some  visitors  think  it  was  intended  for  a  conduit 
for  water.  But  as  there  are  springs  pouring  their 
waters  into  the  lake  on  each  side  of  the  hill  on  the  side 
of  which  it  is  cut,  I  dissent  from  that  opinion. 

It  was  evidently  done  by  the  Romans,  and  in  my 
opinion  was  done  to  shorten  the  road  from  Bethsaida 
to  Capernaum.  It  is  cut  wide  enough  for  footmen  even 
with  burdens  to  travel,  and  one  can  pass  through  it 
without  difficulty  on  horseback. 

We  now  leave  the  sea  of  Galilee  and  take  a  trail 
running  north  over  the  fertile  hills  which  surround  it. 
Some  three  miles  distant  from  the  lake  we  reach  an  old 
khan,  or  stopping  place  for  caravans,  situated  in  a  small 
cultivated  plain.  Between  this  old  khan  and  Capernaum 
are  the  ruins  of  ancient  Chorazin,  once  an  important 
place.  But  we  learn  that  the  inhabitants  rejected  the 
teaching  of  Jesus  and  a  "  woe  "  was  pronounced  against 
it.  It  now  lies  a  mass  of  ruins. 

From  the  old  khan  our  route  lay  over  rocky  hills  and 
fertile  valleys.  About  ten  o'clock  we  passed  a  small 
village  occupied  by  Jew  farmers.  The  tract  of  land 
upon  which  the  village  stands  was  bought  by  the  Roths- 
childs and  given  to  the  Jews.  It  didn't  amount  to 
much  of  a  gift,  however,  as  it  is  as  unproductive  a  body 
of  land  as  I  have  seen  in  Palestine.  A  short  distance 
from  here  we  enter  the  valley  of  the  water  of  Muleh. 
Joshua  called  them  the  waters  of  Merom.  A  few  hun- 
dred yards  from  our  trail  and  to  the  right  of  it  is  where 
Joshua  had  a  battle  with  a  score,  more-or  less,  of  the 
kings  of  the  surrounding  country.  They  gathered 
their  armies  at  the  instance  of  Jabin,  the  King  of 
Hazor,  and  the  Lord  delivered  them  into  Joshua's  hands 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  563 

and  he  gained  a  decided  victory  over  a  vastly  superior 
force. 

Joshua  had  defeated  the  forces  of  the  five  kings  in 
the  memorable  battle  of  Gibeon  and  put  the  kings 
themselves  to  death  at  the  cave  Makkeda.  The  kings 
of  the  northern  provinces  and  cities  having  heard  that 
Joshua  was  taking  possession  of  the  country  by  force 
of  arms  gathered  their  united  armies  in  this  valley  by 
the  "  waters  of  Merom."  No  doubt  they  thought  by 
uniting  their  forces  they  could  crush,  at  one  blow, 
Joshua  and  his  comparatively  small  army  of  Israelites, 
and  put  an  end  to  his  triumphant  invasion  and  conquest 
of  their  country. 

Joshua  was  told  by  the  Lord  not  to  fear  them,  that 
he  would  cause  Israel  to  triumph,  and  he  must  cut  the 
hamstrings  of  the  captive  horses  and  burn  all  their 
chariots.  All*  the  spoil  of  the  cities,  however,  was  to 
be  divided  among  the  Israelites.  Their  destruction 
was  complete.  The  cities  that  stood  still  in  their 
strength,  we  are  told,  were  not  destroyed,  but  Hazor, 
Jabin's  city,  which  stood  here  where  we  see  those 
scattered  stones,  was  burned.  Jabin,  the  king  of 
Hazor,  had  gathered  this  mighty  army  to  fight  Israel, 
and  this  fact  being  known  to  Joshua  is  the  reason,  I 
suppose,  that  Hazor  was  committed  to  the  flames. 

This  victory  gave  the  Israelites  possession  of  all  the 
northern  parts  of  Canaan  as  far  as  Baal  gad.  (Baal  bee.) 

At  noon  we  reached  a  fine  spring  called  Hamra,  the 
\vater  from  which  runs  a  mill.  We  are  in  the  suburbs 
of  Salfed,  a  place  mentioned  in  the  Talmud  under  the 
name  Safat.  Some  writers  mention  this  place  as  the 
place  referred  to  by  the  Savior  in  the  sermon  on  the 
mount,  where  he  says,  "  Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world  ; 


564  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

a  city  that  is  set  on  a  hill  can  not  be  hid."  I  don't 
think  the  Savior  referred  to  any  particular  city,  but 
simply  stated  a  fact  and  used  it  for  an  illustration  of 
another  fact  too  little  heeded  by  his  followers. 

This  is  the  loftiest  town  in  Galilee,  twenty-seven 
hundred  and  seventy  feet  above  sea  level.  The  Jews 
living  here  are  Spanish-Portuguese  who  immigrated 
after  the  expulsion  of  the  Jews  from  Spain  under 
Isabella  I.  They  are  called  Sephardan  Jews,  and  are 
Polygamists.  This  place  has  a  history,  but  not  a  bible 
history.  And  as  it  is  a  sorry  place  at  best,  we  leave  it 
without  regret.  There  are  some  mountains  in  the 
neighborhood  of  this  place  having  some  trees  on  them. 
But  as  we  only  see  them  in  the  distance,  I  suppose  they 
are  olive  and  apricot  trees. 

We  are  now  riding  through  the  valley  of  the  Jordan, 
with  marshy  lands  around  and  above  lake  Merom  to 
our  right  and  the  hills  of  Naphtali  on  our  left.  Our 
road  runs  for  the  most  part  at  the  foot  of  the  hills  in 
the  country  of  Naphtali. 

We  find  our  tents  pitched  in  the  valley  near  a  large 
pool  fed  by  a  copious  spring  coming  from  beneath  the 
rocks  at  the  foot  of  the  hill.  In  the  rear  of  our  tents 
runs  quite  a  large  stream,  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the 
Jordan.  Nearly  the  whole  of  this  valley,  a  mile  or  more 
in  width,  is  made  marshy  by  the  water  of  the  springs 
coming  from  beneath  the  hills  on  each  side  emptying 
into  it.  This  marshy  land  is  covered  with  tall  rush,  and 
we  find  a  large  encampment  of  Bedouins  here  working 
the  rush  into  mats,  baskets,  etc. 

I  went  into  their  encampment  and  secured  some 
pictures  of  tents  and  some  of  the  Bedouins  themselves. 
They  are  a  rough,  ignorant,  dirty,  savage  looking  peo- 


AND  THE   HOLY   LAND.  565 

pie.  The  walls  of  many  of  their  tents  are  made  of 
rush  wicker-work,  and  covered  with  black  goat's-hair 
cloth.  This  hand-made  goat's-hair  cloth  is  used  very 
extensively  among  the  Arabs ;  they  make  their  tents, 
mantles  and  other  articles  of  it.  The  Sultan  furnishes 
annually  a  new  covering  of  it  for  the  Great  Caba  at 
Mecca.  The  old  one  is  then  cut  up  and  sold  at  exorbi- 
tant prices,  being  regarded  very  sacred. 

At  the  foot  of  the  hills  bordering  the  valley  of  the 
waters  Merom  are  a  few  Eashan  oaks,  venerable  in 
appearance  and  symmetrical  in  form.  Beggars  besiege 
our  camp  here  as  elsewhere.  If  the  Porte  of  Turkey 
can't  boast  of  anything  else,  it  can  certainly  boast  of 
having  more  beggars  than  any  other  country  on  earth. 
We  leave  this  place  early  expecting  to  lunch  at  old 
Dan.  Our  route  lay  along  at  the  foot  of  the  hills 
bordering  the  valley,  sometimes  ascending  and  running 
along  their  rocky  sides,  affording  an  extensive  view  of 
the  valley  below  and  mountains  north  and  east  of  us. 
Each  day  brings  us  nearer  and  nearer  old  snow-covered 
bible  Hermon,  which,  like  Mt.  Vesuvius  in  Italy,  is 
a  landmark  whose  hoary  head  can  be  seen  from 
Jerusalem,  from  the  Dead  Sea,  from  Carmel,  and  from 
the  far  north  and  east — Damascus  and  Beyrout  being 
overshadowed,  as  it  were,  by  this  father  of  mountains, 
Grand  old  Hermon,  whose  praises  have  been  sung  by 
prophets  and  kings. 

Moses  had  heard  of  these  mountains  and  longed  to 
see  them  before  he  died,  and  besought  the  Lord  that 
he  might  go  over  and  see  the  good  land  that  lay 
beyond  Jordan  and  "  that  goodly  mountain,  Lebanon." 
David  says  of  it  to  have  "  his  fruit  shake  like 
Lebanon,"  i.e.,  to  be  rich  in  blessings.  To  "grow 


566  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

like  a  cedar  in  Lebanon "  "  was  to  flourish  in 
unchecked  vigor."  But  the  cedars,  the  glory  of 
Lebanon,  are  well-nigh  gone.  Comparatively  few  of 
the  old  monarchs  of  the  mountain  are  left.  "The 
curse  of  the  Holy  One  is  fallen  upon  it,  and  the 
prophecy  that  "  Lebanon  shall  fall "  and  her  "  tall 
cedars  shall  be  cut  down  "  has  been  fulfilled.  But  few 
of  the  old  trees  are  left,  and  time  with  his  ruthless 
hand  has  robbed  them  of  their  former  glory.  God 
planted  these  cedars  of  Lebanon.  He  gives  and  he 
takes  away. 

As  we  reach  the  northern  extremity  of  the  valley, 
or,  more  properly  speaking,  marshes,  we  find  a  large 
rapid  stream,  its  waters  leaping  and  rushing  down  a 
mountain  gorge  with  perpendicular  cliffs  on  each  side. 

This  stream  is  called  Dedara,  one  of  the  main 
tributaries  of  the  Jordan.  The  fall  from  the  foot  of 
the  Lebanon  mountains  to  Merom  is  over  fourteen 
hundred  feet,  which  accounts  for  the  mad  rushing  of 
the  water  in  the  many  streams  which  pour  their 
waters  into  this  valley.  We  cross  this  stream  on  an 
old  Koman  bridge  of  a  single  arch.  The  lands  of  this 
valley  not  inundated  and  marshy  were  once  cultivated 
but  are  now  used  as  pastures  by  the  Bedouins. 

After  crossing  the  Bedara  our  route  carries  us  over 
a  considerable  hill,  and  leads  us  some  two  miles 
further  on  to  another  bridge  which  is  called  El 
Ghazar,  which  spans  the  Hasbany,  the  north  tributary 
and  chief  source  of  the  Jordan.  Descending  hence 
by  the  east  side  of  the  river  we  soon  leave  the  main 
path  and  turn  south,  and  making  our  way  through 
underbrush  in  a  mile,  or  perhaps  a  mile  and  a  half, 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  567 

reach  the  hill  upon  which  stood  old  Dan,  where  we 
found  our  lunch  tents  spread. 

I  wish  all  my  pedo- baptist  friends  and  brethren 
could  see  this  part  of  Palestine  and  see  and  know  for 
themselves  what  an  immense  quantity  of  water  the 
little  stream  Jordan  carries  down  to  the  Dead  Sea. 
The  channel  would  not  be  of  sufficient  size  and  depth 
to  drain  this  country  were  it  not  for  the  great  fall 
which  it  has ;  the  rapidity  of  the  current  in  the  mean- 
time being  retarded  by  its  frequent  shoals  and  its 
tortuous  course. 

The  fall  from  where  we  crossed  the  tributaries  of  the 
Jordan  to  lake  Merom  is  thirteen  hundred  and  thirty 
feet,  and  thence  to  lake  Tiberius  eight  hundred  and 
ninety  feet,  and  from  that  lake  to  the  Dead  Sea  six 
hundred  and  sixty-seven  feet,  and  in  a  straight  line 
from  the  sources  here  in  these  mountains  to  the  mouth 
is  not  exceeding  one  hundred  and  forty  miles.  The 
meanderings  of  the  stream  across  this  broad  plain  greatly 
increase  its  actual  length  of  course. 

The  mound  upon  which  the  old  city  of  Dan  stood  is 
three  hundred  yards  long  and  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty  wide,  and  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  above  the  plain 
on  the  very  margin  of  which  it  stands.  This  mound, 
covered  with  green  verdure  and  trees,  was  shown  us 
from  our  camping-ground  the  evening  before.  On  the 
top  of  the  mound  is  a  fine  oak  tree,  under  which  is  a 
Moslem  tomb.  As  soon  as  we  dismounted  our  ears 
were  greeted  by  the  murmuring  of  abundant  water. 

The  base  of  the  mound  opposite  the  valley  is  washed 
by  the  El-Leddin,  which  has  its  source  in  a  large  pool 
forty  yards  in  width,  fed  by  springs.  So  copious  is  this 
supply  that  it  runs  a  corn  mill.  The  stream  formed 


568  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

by  the  fountains  hereabouts  is  called  by  Josephus  Little 
Jordan,  and  from  the  amount  of  water  flowing  through 
its  channel  is  regarded  as  the  chief  source  of  that  river. 
It  contains  far  more  water  than  the  Banias  or  the  Has- 
bany.  The  other  two  branches  we  crossed  before 
reaching  this.  Four  or  five  miles  below  here  the  river 
is  said  to  be  forty -five  or  fifty  feet  wide,  the  bed  being 
double  that  width  and  lying  twenty  to  fifty  feet  below 
the  level  of  the  plain. 

This  is  the  first  mill  I  have  seen  since  leaving  Jeru- 
salem. The  reader  would  laugh  to  see  what  a  flimsy, 
rude  affair  it  is.  The  runner  has  no  hoop  around  it, 
and  consequently  the  meal  flies  out  in  all  directions. 
It  is  gathered  into  a  reservoir  by  Arab  women,  who  sit 
around  the  runner  for  the  purpose.  The  miller  was 
sick  and  I  prescribed  for  him,  for  which  he  gave  me  a 
handful  of  corn. 

From  the  plateau  on  the  top  of  this  mound  we  get  a 
fine  view  of  the  plain.  All  around  its  sides  and  base 
are  small  trees  and  undergrowth  and  thickets  of  olean- 
ders. 

We  read  that  the  coast  territory  allotedto  Dan  in  the 
general  distribution  of  lands  was  too  small  to  accom- 
modate the  tribe.  Therefore  the  children  of  Dan  sent 
five  men  from  their  coasts  to  hunt  them  more  territory. 
They  went  up  north  and  spent  the  night  with  one 
Micah  at  Mt.  Ephraim.  Micah  had  a  Levite  in  his 
employ,  hired  as  his  priest.  And  they  asked  him 
to  inquire  of  the  Lord  which  way  they  should  go  to 
succeed  in  accomplishing  the  object  of  their  journey. 
The  priest  did  so  and  told  them  to  "  go  in  peace,  before 
the  Lord  is  your  way  wherein  you  go." 

The  five  men  came  up  here  and  found  a  people  occu- 


AND  THE   HOLY    LAND.  569 

pying  this  fertile,  well-watered  section,  that  had  no 
magistrate  or  other  officers  of  law  to  hold  them  respon- 
sible for  their  misdeeds;  a  careless,  indifferent,  isolated 
people.  This  place  was  called  Laish  or  Leshem,  at  that 
time.  These  five  men  went  back  and  made  a  favorable 
report.  They  told  their  friends  that  they  had  seen  the 
land  and  it  was  good,  and  a  large  country ;  that  it 
was  a  place  where  there  was  no  want  of  anything  that 
is  in  the  earth.  Thereupon,  six  hundred  of  the  tribe 
came  up  here ;  the  five  men  who  first  came  being  of 
the  number.  "When  they  reached  Mt.  Ephraim  and 
came  to  the  house  of  Micah,  the  five  men  asked  the 
others  if  they  knew  that  there  was  in  the  house  of 
Micah  "  an  ephod  and  teraphim,  a  graven  image  and  a 
molten  image." 

They  went  to  the  house  and  found  the  Levite  at  the 
gate.  The  five  men  left  him  standing  at  the  gate  with 
their  brethren  and  went  into  the  house  and  brought 
out  the  ephod,  the  teraphim,  the  graven  image,  and  the 
molten  image.  The  Levite  asked  them  what  they  were 
doing.  They  told  him  to  "  lay  his  hand  on  his  mouth 
and  hold  his  peace  and  come  and  go  with  them ;  that  it 
was  better  to  be  a  priest  of  a  tribe  of  Israel  than  a 
priest  of  one  man."  This  tickled  the  priest,  and  he  took 
his  tricks  and  went  with  them. 

These  Danites  seemed  to  realize  that  their  proceed- 
ings in  this  matter  would  be  objected  to  by  the  people, 
Micah's  neighbors.  So  when  they  departed  they  put 
their  women  and  children  and  flocks  in  front,  and  the 
men  brought  up  the  rear.  When  they  had  proceeded 
some  distance  from  the  place  Micah  and  his  neighbors 
gathered  together  and  followed  the  children  of  Dan. 
And  when  they  came  up  to  them  they  halloed  to 


570  TEAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

them.  And  the  Danites  turned  their  faces  and  asked 
Micah  u  what  ailed  him,  that  he  came  with  such  a  com- 
pany." Micah  answered  them  by  saying :  "  Why  ask 
me  what  aileth  me  when  you  have  taken  away  my 
gods  and  my  priest,  and  what  have  I  more  ? " 

The  children  of  Dan  frightened  Micah  and  his  little 
band  so  that  they  returned  to  their  homes.  The. 
Danites  then  came  on  up  here  and  whipped  out  the 
Laishites,  who  were  a  quiet,  harmless  people,  who 
thought  themselves  secure  in  their  possessions,  and  took 
their  city  and  burned  it ;  this  isolated  people  having 
no  near  neighboring  tribes  to  help  them  in  a  defense 
of  their  country  or  city.  The  children  of  Dan  then 
built  them  a  city  and  called  it "  Dan,  "  after  the  name 
of  the  old  man,  their  father.  And  they  set  up  the 
graven  image,  and  Jonathan,  the  grandson  of  Manasseh, 
and  his  sons  were  priests  to  them  until  the  day  of  cap- 
tivity. 

You  remember  Jeroboam  erected  one  of  his  golden 
calves  here  on  this  mound.  I  guess  it  was  somewhere 
near  where  this  oak  under  which  we  are  sitting  is 
standing  that  the  golden  calf  was  set  up. 

How  many  of  us,  I  wonder,  are  worshiping  golden 
calves  or  eagles  in  this  day  and  generation  ?  The  Lord 
knoweth. 

After  lunching,  visiting  the  rude  mill,  prescribing  for 
our  sick  Arab,  and  looking  around  to  see  whether  or 
not  a  fragment  or  bone  of  the  golden  calf  might  not 
have  been  left  upon  the  mound  by  some  oversight,  and 
not  finding  any,  we  mounted  and  set  out  on  our  after- 
noon ride  to  Caesarea  Philippi,  our  next  camping-place. 
The  hill  upon  which  the  old  village  of  Dan  was  situated 
is  now  called  Tell-el-Kadi.  We  now  return  to  the  main 


AND   THE    HOLT   LAND.  571 

road,  and  passing  a  piece  of  wooded  land  we  crossed  a 
creek,  where  we  met  an  Arab  driving  a  camel  loaded 
with  stone.  The  poor  beast  had  all  he  could  carry. 
Shortly  after  crossing  this  stream  the  ascent  of  the 
Eastern  hills  became  steeper.  It  seems  a  little  strange 
to  be  riding  through  woodad  land  again  where  we  have 
to  stoop  and  bend  forward  to  ride  beneath  the  projecting 
branches  of  the  trees.  The  growth  is  mostly  oak,  yet 
we  find  among  these  several  other  kinds  of  trees,  of 
which  we  know  not  the  names, 

We  soon  arrived  at  Caesarea  Philippi,  now  called 
Barias.  When  Herod  the  Great  received  from  Augus- 
tus the  territory  called  Zenodorus,  and  the  Tetrarchy 
to  the  north  and  the  northeast  of  the  sea  of  Galilee,  it 
included  this  place,  which  was  then  called  Paneas,  on 
account  of  the  immense  temple  of  Pan  which  was 
located  here.  We  find  our  tents  huddled  together  in  a 
small  grove  of  olive  trees  near  a  stone  bridge  which 
spans  a  beautiful  rapid  running  stream.  This  stream 
flows  from  the  Barias  spring,  located  about  a  hundred 
yards  east  of  the  town.  The  location  of  this  old  city 
was  beautiful.  "  It  lies  at  the  north  end  of  a  triangular 
terrace  in  a  nook  of  the  Hermon  mountains,  eleven 
hundred  and  fifty  f ett  above  sea  level,  and  four  hundred 
and  ninety  feet  above  the  mound  upon  which  Dan  was 
built.  It  has  a  narrow  valley  on  each  side  of  it  coming 
from  the  mountain&.neast  of  it.  A  third  valley  opens  a 
little  to  the  north  from  a  deep  wooded  ravine  among 
the  mountains.  Water  abounds  in  every  direction, 
giving  life,  vigor  and  luxuriance  to  vegetation :  veri- 
fying the  report  made  by  the  five  men  who  went  to 
spy  out  the  land,  and  who  said  :  "  It  was  a  place  where 
there  was  no  want  of  anything  that  is  in  the  earth." 


572  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

They  meant,  of  course,  that  the  land  was  productive, 
that  there  was  an  abundance  of  timber  and  water  and 
everything  to  make  it  a  desirable  place  in  which  to  live. 
Even  now  timber  for  all  ordinary  uses  is  abundant. 
The  soil  is  exceedingly  fertile  and  covered  with  a 
Juxurianceof  vegetation. 

Northeast  of  the  present  old,  filthy  Arab  village,  some 
hundred  yards,  is  a  fountain,  semi-circular  in  shape, 
some  seventy-five  or  more  feet  around  the  circle,  burst- 
ing forth  through  the  broken  rock  which  seems  to  have 
been  shaken  down  from  the  perpendicular  cliff  which 
rises  in  a  broad  surface  three  hundred  feet  above  it. 
This  fountain  forms  one  of  the  chief  sources  of  the  Jor- 
dan. This  is  one  of  the  grandest  and  most  picturesque 
spots  I  have  ever  seen.  The  water,  cool  and  clear  as  a 
crystal,  goes  dashing  madly  down  its  rocky  bed,  singing 
and  dancing  as  though  it  were  happy  in  its  purity  and 
freedom. 

Just  above  this  spring,  if  we  may  call  a  small  river 
bursting  forth  from  its  subterranean  channel,  which  has 
wended  its  dark  passage  beneath  the  Hermon  moun- 
tains, a  spring,  is  a  perpendicular  cliff  three  hundred  or 
three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high ;  at  the  base  of  this 
cliff  once  stood  a  pagan  temple.  Niches  were  cut  in 
the  face  of  the  cliff  in  which  the  idols  were  set.  These 
niches  were  once  much  higher  than  they  are  at  present. 
Detached  pieces  of  stone  fallen  from  the  face  of  the 
cliff  have  filled  it  up  at  the  base.  The  most  northern 
niche  is  the  largest ;  above  this  is  a  smaller  one.  Over 
one  of  the  small  niches  is  inscribed  in  Greek,  "  Priest  of 
Pan."  It  is  said  Herod  built  a  temple  on  this  edge  of 
broken  stone  in  honor  of  Augustus.  To  the  left  of  the 
niches  is  a  cave.  Its  mouth  is  now  obstructed,  however, 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.^  573 

by  fallen  stone.  This  place  is  as  far  north  as  we  have 
any  account  of  our  Savior  going. 

The  view  from  a  point  below  the  fountain,  taking  in 
the  fountain  as  it  bursts  forth  from  its  rocky  prison, 
and  the  perpendicular  cliff,  which  towers  far  above  it, 
is  simply  grand  beyond  description. 

Remains  of  broken  columns  and  other  fragments  of 
stone  show  that  the  ancient  city  extended  much  farther 
south  than  the  mountain  stream  which  flows  on  that 
side  of  the  city.  In  some  places  considerable  portions 
of  the  ancient  castle  walls  are  still  standing.  The  old 
castle  which  was  located  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
city  was  an  immense  affair.  Its  walls  on  the  north 
were  protected  by  the  waters  of  the  spring  I  have  just 
described,  i.  <?.,  the  Barias  spring.  "The  remains  of 
the  building  material  are  extremely  massive."  Three 
of  its  towers  are  yet  preserved. 

The  Arabs  living  here  have  small  rooms  constructed 
(wicker-work)  of  reeds  on  the  top  of  their  flat-roofed 
dirt  huts,  in  which  to  sleep.  Ishmael  informed  us  that 
they  slept  in  these  elevated  reed  rooms  to  get  rid  of  the 
fleas  and  gray- backs  which  infest  their  dwellings. 

"Here  Titus  celebrated  the  capture  of  Jerusalem 
with  gladiatorial  combats,  in  which  many  of  the  captive 
Jews  were  compelled  to  fight  with  wild  beasts  and 
with  each  other,  to  the  death." 

"We  read  in  the  scriptures  of  a  woman  who  was 
diseased  with  an  issue  of  blood  with  which  she  had 
suffered  twelve  years.  This  woman  believed  if  she 
could  but  touch  the  garment  of  our  Lord  that  she 
would  be  healed  of  her  infirmity.  With  this  confidence 
and  faith  in  his  ability  to  heal  her,  she  came  behind 
him  and  touched  the  hem  of  his  garment.  Doubtless, 


574  .     TRAVELS  IN  EGYPT 

this  woman  believed  this  act  of  hers  would  restore  her 
without  the  knowledge  of  the  Savior  as  to  what  she 
had  done.  The  Savior,  however,  turned  around,  and 
seeing  her  and  understanding  her  thoughts  told  her  to 
be  of  good  comfort,  that  her  faith  had  made  her  whole, 
and  she  was  made  whole  from  that  hour. 

The  scriptures  do  not  tell  us  where  this  occurred, 
but  tradition  says  it  occurred  at  this  city  of  Caesarea 
Philippi.  I  can  see  no  reason  why  it  may  not  have 
occurred  here  as  well  as  any  other  locality. 

We  read  in  Matthew  that  it  was  here  that  the  Savior 
asked  his  disciples :  "  Whom  do  men  say  that  I,  the  Son 
of  man,  am  ?"  And  they  answered,  saying :  "  Some  say 
thatthou  art  John  the  Baptist:  some,  Elias;  and  others, 
Jeremias,  or  one  of  the  prophets."  Then  Jesus  said : 
But  "whom  say  ye  that  I  am  ? "  Simon  Peter  answered 
this  question  by  saying :  "  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son 
'of  the  living  God."  Jesus  then  said  :  "  Blessed  art 
thou,  Simon  Bar-jona,  for  flesh  and  blood  hath  not 
revealed  it  unto  thee,  but  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 
And  I  say  also  unto  thee,  That  thou  art  Peter,  and  upon 
this  rock  I  will  build  my  church  ;  and  the  gates  of  hell 
shall  not  prevail  against  it.  And  I  will  give  unto  thee 
the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven :  and  whatsoever  thou 
shalt  bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven :  and  what- 
soever thou  shalt  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in 
heaven." 

I  imagine  the  Savior  and  his  disciples  were  up  at 
that  big  spring  looking  at  that  stupendous  cliff  at  the 
base  of  which  was  the  Pannium  when  this  conversation 
occurred.  And  if  they  were,  the  remark  of  our  Savior 
that  he  would  found  his  church  upon  this  rock  (Peter's 
confession),  not  that  immense  rock  containing  a  pagan 


AND  THE   HOLY   LAND.  575 

temple,  becomes  more  impressive  and  more  natural. 
Jesus  used  objects  around  and  about  him  to  Impress 
his  divine  lessons  upon  his  hearers. 

I  have  stated  that  our  tents  at  this  place  were  hud- 
dled very  closely  together  in  an  olive  grove.  At  about 
ten  or  perhaps  as  late  as  eleven  o'clock,  when  nearly  all 
of  our  company  had  retired  for  the  night,  the  alarm  of 
fire  was  given.  One  of  the  Arab  servants  had  care- 
lessly set  a  lighted  candle  where  it  toppled  over  against 
the  wall  of  a  tent  occupied  by  two  ladies  who  were  at 
that  time  in  another  lady's  tent,  setting  it  on  fire.  Had 
there  been  a  breeze  blowing,  other  tents  would  have 
caught  fire  and  we  would  have  had  a  lively  time  of  it. 
As  it  happened,  however,  it  was  a  calm  night  and  only 
the  one  tent  burned.  The  fire  was  discovered  in  time 
to  save  the  ladies'  baggage. 

From  Banias  we  began  to  climb  the  Anti-Lebanon 
mountains.  The  path  is  very  rough.  Springs  are  gush- 
ing from  the  sides  of  the  mountains  in  all  directions.  On 
our  left,  on  a  high,  seemingly  inaccessible  mountain  are 
the  remains  of  an  old  castle  covering  the  area  of  the 
summit  of  the  mountain ;  the  mountain  being  separ- 
ated from  Hermon  by  a  ravine.  Its  walls  from  east 
to  west  are  two  hundred  and  thirty  to  two  hundred 
and  sixty  yards  ;  at  each  end  one  hundred  yards.  A 
few  poor  hovels  now  stand  within  the  castle  walls.  The 
southern  part  is  best  preserved.  The  pointed  arches 
indicate  the  mediaeval  origin  of  most  of  the  structures. 
But  older  materials  have  been  utilized. 

The  substructions  are  hewn  stone  of  beautiful  work- 
manship. It  is  not  known  by  whom  this  castle  was 
first  erected.  The  architecture  of  many  different  cen- 
turies is  traceable  in  the  ruins.  Several  of  the  build- 


576  TRAVELS  IN  EGYPT 

ings,  towers  and  considerable  of  the  walls  are  yet 
standing.  On  one  side  the  wall  has  toppled  over  the 
precipice  six  hundred  feet  below.  Across  the  ravine 
from  this  magnificent  old  castle  Hermon  with  its 
crown  of  perpetual  snow  rises  in  grand  proportions. 
As  we  cross  over  this  mountain  range  we  ride  by 
large  patches  of  snow  and  see  others  far  below  us  on 
the  mountain  sides,  although  this  is  the  second  day  of 
May. 

On  our  right  three  extinct  volcanoes  are  within  full 
view,  and  for  miles  we  ride  over  the  scoria  thrown  out 
by  them  in  the  centuries  long  past. 

An  old  writer  in  describing  the  last  scenes  in  the 
fall  of  Jerusalem  when  besieged  by  Titus  speaks  of  a 
volcano  blazing  with  unusual  brilliancy.  It  may  have 
been  one  of  these,  for  it  could  have  been  very  easily 
seen  from  Jerusalem,  though  we  have  no  account  of  a 
burning  volcano  here  at  that  time. 

In  our  journey  across  this  range  we  ascended  within 
nine  hundred  or  a  thousand  feet  of  the  top  of  old1  Her- 
mon, and  as  we  descend  the  mountains  we  leave  the 
land  of  Palestine  and  enter  upon  the  plains  of  Syria. 
Near  the  foot  of  the  mountains  we  reach  a  Druse  vil- 
lage and  find  our  tents  spread  out  on  a  small  plain 
near  a  beautiful  spring. 


AND   THE   HOLT    LAND. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  bible  reader  will  remember  that  the  northern 
part  of  Gilead  and  the  district  of  Bashan  are  not 
so  frequently  mentioned  in  the  scriptures  and  do  not 
appear  to  have  been  as  well  known  to  the  Israelites  as 
the  more  southern  portions  east  of  the  Jordan. 

It  is  not  known  where  the  northern  boundary  of 
Gilead  was,  i.  e.,  where  Gilead  ended  and  Bashan  began. 
It  seems  that  the  name  Bashan  frequently  included  the 
northern  portion  of  Gilead  as  far  down  as  the  Jabbok 
river.  When  Moses  led  the  children  of  Israel  into  this 
country  this  whole  region  was  occupied  by  the  Amor- 
ites  who  had  Ogas  their  king,  and  he  was  called  "  king 
of  Bashan. "  Moses  defeated  his  army  at  Edrei  and 
took  possession  of  the  whole  country  and  allotted  this 
kingdom  to  the  tribe  of  Manasseh  as  far  as  Edrei.  The 
scriptures  tell  us  that  Moses  slew  Sihon,  the  king  of  the 
Amorites  which  dwelt  in  Heshbon,  and  Og,  the  king  of 
Bashan,  which  dwelt  at  Astaroth  in  Edrei.  This  kingdom 
of  Bashan  extended  as  far  as  the  slopes  of  the  Hauran 
range  of  mountains,  where  the  Israelites  found  sixty 
cities  fortified  with  high  walls  and  gates  and  bars  and 
a  great  many  unwalled  cities  in  the  midst  of  an 
extremely  fertile  tract. 

We  find  at  a  later  day  Ezekiel  speaks  of  this  same 
country  and  calls  it  Hauran,  the  name  of  the  mountains 
having  been  extended  to  the  country,  as  it  is  at  the 
present  day. 

The  ancient  dwellings  in  this  country  form  its  chief 
attraction  at  the  present  day.  Wetzstein  divides  them 

677 


578  TBAVELS  IN  EGYPT 

into  four  classes  and  describes  them  as  follows :  First, 
the  original  Troglodite  or  cave  dwellers.  Their  dwell- 
ing places  were  artificial  grottoes  or  caves,  from  ten  to 
twel\e  yards  long,  about  six  yards  wide,  and  about 
ten  feet  in  height.  The  entrance  was  about  three  feet 
wide  and  five  feet  in  height  and  had  no  shutter.  In 
front  of  the  cave  was  a  small  stone  enclosure  through 
which  a  stone  door  led  to  the  open  air.  Second,  in 
dry,  rocky  and  lofty  situations  are  sometimes  found 
shafts  or  tunnels  descending  obliquely  to  a  depth  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet;  from  the  bottom  of  which 
ran  a  number  of  straight  passages  or  streets  from  six- 
teen to  twenty  feet  wide.  On  each  side  of  these 
streets  subterranean  dwellings  were  hewn  in  the  rock, 
holes  being  dug  down  from  the  surface  opening  into 
the  ceiling  for  light  and  ventilation.  These  villages 
generally  have  but  the  one  outlet,  and  that  was  usually 
in  a  precipitous  rocky  slope.  It  was  a  matter  of  the 
utmost  difficulty  for  an  enemy  to  capture  one  of  these 
strongholds.  Third,  another  kind  of  dwelling  found 
here  consisted  of  a  chamber  dug  down  into  the  surface 
of  a  rocky  plateau  and  then  covered  with  solid  stone 
vaulting.  All  this  character  of  dwellings  certainly 
belong  to  hoary  antiquity.  When,  as  the  Bible 
informs  us,  Hauran  was  inhabited  by  the  Rephaim  or 
Amalekite  giants,  we  learn  that  Og,  king  of  Bashan, 
slept  on  an  iron  bedstead  fifteen  feet  nine  inches  in 
length  and  eight  feet  in  width. 

I  don't  blame  the  spies  whom  Moses  sent  to  spy  out 
the  land  of  Canaan  for  being  afraid  of  such  men  as 
these. 

Fourth,  most  of  the  villages  of  Hauran  consist  of 
stone  houses  built  of  handsome,  well -hewn  stone 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  579 

beams,  and  admirably  jointed  without  cement.  Wood 
is  nowhere  used.  The  houses  are  built  close  together 
and  have  lofty  walls.  Some  of  the  larger  villages 
only  are  surrounded  with  walls,  and  these  are  provided 
with  very  numerous  towers. 

I  have  said  this  much  about  Hauran  because  it  is 
a  country  frequently  mentioned  in  the  bible.  It  is 
chiefly  occupied  by  roving  Bedouins,  but  the  slopes  of 
the  hills  and  the  plains  are  inhabited  by  peasants  who 
form  the  permanent  part  of  the  population.  For 
several  centuries  past,  however,  the  Hauran  moun- 
tains have  been  colonized  by  Druses. 

They  are  a  mixed  race  of  people,  i.e.,  they  are  of 
Syrian  and  Arabic  origin.  They  inhabit  Lebanon,  a 
province  of  Syria  embracing  parts  of  Lebanon  and 
Anti-Lebanon  mountains.  "  Near  the  end  of  the  10th 
century.  A.  D.,  Caliph  Hakim-Biamrillah  having 
declared  himself  in  Egypt  to  be  an  incarnation  of  Ali, 
his  doctrine  together  with  the  transmigration  of 
souls  was  promulgated  in  southern  Lebanon  by  Moham- 
med Ishmael  Darazi,  a  shrewd  Persian  secretary  who 
succeeded  in  making  many  converts.  They  believe  in 
the  existence  of  a  God,  inscrutable  and  indefinable, 
but  who  has  occasionally  manifested  himself  in  human 
form;  his  last  incarnation  having  taken  place  in  the 
person  of  Hakim.  This  Hakim,  the  last  prophet  and 
the  founder  of  the  true  religion,  is  said  to  have 
subjected  himself  to  death  only  with  a  view  to  ascer- 
tain whether  any  of  his  followers  embraced  his 
doctrine  from  worldly  motives.  At  a  future  day  he 
would  return  to  found  a  vast  empire  and  convert  the 
whole  world  to  the  Druse  religion.  They  perform 


580  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

their  worship  in  solitary  chapels.  Their  inward 
religious  sentiments  and  mode  of  worship  seem  to  be 
but  little  understood. 

"  In  Hauran,  as  in  central  Arabia,  every  village  has 
its  public  inn  where  every  traveler  is  entertained  gra- 
tuitously, and  the  Hauranians  deem  it  honorable  to 
impoverish  themselves  by  contributing  to  the  main- 
tainance  of  these  establishments. 

"  When  a  traveler  arrives  he  is  greeted  with  shouts 
of  welcome  by  all  who  see  him  and  is  conducted  to  the 
inn.  A  slave  roasts  coffee  and  pounds  it  in  the  wooden 
mortar,  singing  all  the  while.  Soon  after  his  arrival 
the  whole  village  assembles,  and  after  the  stranger  has 
been  served  the  whole  assemblage  partake  of  the  coffee. 
They  urge  the  visitor  to  prolong  his  stay  with  them." 

Their  bill  of  fare  consists  of  fresh  bread,  eggs,  sour 
milk,  raisins  and  grapes,  and  in  the  evening  a  dish  of 
wheat,  boiled  with  a  little  leaven  and  dried  in  the  sun, 
to  be  eaten  with  mutton.  The  Druse  women  used  to 
wear  the  Tantur  or  horned  head-dress.  I  have  said 
this  much  about  these  strange  people  because  we  passed 
through  a  portion  of  their  country  and  are  now  in  camp 
near  one  of  their  villages. 

Before  reaching  our  camping-place  for  the  night  we 
passed  a  rock  tomb  in  a  plain  which  is  said  to  be  the 
burial-place  of  iNimrod,  son  of  Gush,  who,  you  remem- 
ber, was  a  great  grandson  of  Noah.  It  is  said  of  him 
that  he  was  "  a  mighty  hunter."  But  as  he  lived  and 
died  twenty-two  or  twenty- three  hundred  years  before 
the  Christian  era  it  is  somewhat  doubtful  about  anyone 
knowing  just  where  this  hunter  died  and  was  buried. 

From  our  camp  to  Damascus  we  rode  over  a  beau- 
tiful plain,  portions  of  which  are  in  cultivation.  Now 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  581 

and  then  we  pass  a  village  surrounded  by  vineyards  and 
orchards.  The  capabilities  of  the  plain  of  Damascus 
when  properly  irrigated  are  already  apparent  here. 

We  found  our  lunch  tent  pitched  on  the  Pharpar, 
which  has  its  source  in  a  large  spring  at  the  foot  of  the 
Lebanon  mountains.  This  is  one  of  the  rivers  of  which 
Naaman  said  :  "Are  not  the  Abana  and  the  Pharpar 
rivers  of  Damascus  better  than  all  the  waters  of  Israel  ?" 
Calling  this  little  creek  a  river  reminds  me  of  the 
watercourses  about  Athens  which  are  called  rivers,  but 
which  in  reality  are  brooks  which  can  be  leaped  over 
without  difficulty. 

It  is  true  we  are  on  the  main  stream  of  the  Pharpar, 
but  near  its  source,  and  tributaries  coming  into  it  in- 
crease its  volume  and  make  it  a  stream  of  more  respec- 
table proportions  before  reaching  Damascus.  Ten  miles 
before  reaching  the  city  we  cross  a  lovely  stream  of 
sparkling  water  rippling  over  its  gravelly  bed.  Near 
it  on  the  right  is  quite  a  nice  village  of  substantially 
built  houses. 

Near  this  stream  it  is  said  Saul  was  converted.  "We 
learn  that  Saul  was  very  zealous  in  persecuting  the 
early  Christians.  When  Stephen  was  condemned  to 
be  stoned  to  death  Saul  not  only  witnessed  it,  but  the 
clothes  of  the  witnesses  were  laid  at  his  feet.  In  the 
law  which  was  given  the  children  of  Israel  by  Moses, 
for  their  observance  when  they  had  come  into  the  land 
of  Canaan,  was  a  clause  warning  them  against  false 
prophets,  and  when  they  should  have  proven  one  to  be 
such  they  were  commanded  to  stone  such  an  one  to 
death.  This  was  one  of  the  modes  of  execution  among 
the  Jews. 

If  one  were  to  stand  before  an  audience  in  Jerusalem 


582  TKAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

to-day  and  preach  to  those  ignorant,  bigoted,  phari- 
saical  people  as  did  Stephen  and  tell  them  as  he  did 
that  they  were  stiff-necked  and  uncircumsized  in  heart 
and  ears,  that  they  persecuted  the  prophets  as  their 
fathers  did  before  them,  that  they  had  slain  them  who 
proved  the  coming  of  the  "  Just  One,"  that  they  had 
betrayed  and  put  him  to  death,  that  they  were 
"  betrayers  and  murderers,"  and  that  they  had  received 
the  law  by  the  dispensation  of  angels  and  had  not  kept 
it, — I  say  if  a  disciple  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  or 
Christ  himself,  were  to  boldly  proclaim  these  truths  to 
that  pharisaical  people  they  would  stone  him  to  death 
as  they  did  Stephen  or  crucify  Christ  as  the  Jews  did 
when  he  was  on  earth. 

We  further  learn  that  this  same  Saul  went  to  the  high 
priest  at  Jerusalem  and  requested  of  him  authority  to 
search  the  synagogues  at  Damascus,  and  if  he  found 
any  Christians  there,  men  or  women,  that  he  might  bring 
them  in  fetters  to  Jerusalem. 

I  wonder  how  many  professing  Christians  at  this 
time  could  endure  unwaveringly  the  persecutions  to 
which  those  early  followers  of  Christ  were  subjected  ? 
I  believe  there  are  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  who 
would  endure  the  torture  of  flame  before  they  would 
blaspheme  his  name  or  deny  having  an  abiding  faith  in 
his  merits. 

Saul  traveled  the  road  we  are  traveling.  I  imagine 
I  can  see  this  young  man  with  his  retinue  of  followers 
as  they  trail  along  this  way  on  their  camels  and  donkeys. 
Saul's  brow  is  knit,  his  teeth  firmly  set,  "  breathing  out 
threatenings  and  slaughter,"  and  as  he  journeyed  he 
came  near  Damascus  and  suddenly  there  "shined  round 
about  him  a  light  from  heaven."  And  he  fell  to  the 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  583 

earth  and  heard  a  voice  saying  unto  him,  "  Saul,  Saul, 
why  persecutest  thou  me  ?  "  This  was  a  question  to 
which  Saul  could  not,  nor  could  any  other  man,  give  a 
reasonable  answer.  Hence  Saul,  instead  of  answering  or 
endeavoring  to  answer  the  question,  said,  "  Who  art 
thou,  Lord  ?"  Jesus  told  him  who  he  was,  and  "  Saul, 
trembling  and  astonished,  said,  What  wilt  thou  have  me 
to  do?"  And  Jesus  told  him  to  "arise  and  go  into  the 
city  and  it  shall  be  told  thee  what  thou  must  do." 

Tradition  has  handed  this  locality  down  as  the  place, 
where  this  miraculous  event  occurred.  You  sav  the 

9f 

sceptic  denies  that  such  an  occurrence  ever  took  place. 
Yes,  that  is  not  at  all  strange.  Some  people  are  so 
constituted  and  have  trained  themselves  in  a  school  of 
unbelief  who  would  deny  that  they  ever  had  a  mother, 
if  they  could  account  for  their  coming  into  the  world 
in  any  other  way.  I  am  not  surprised  at  this. 

From  this  locality  the  city  of  Damascus  is  in  full 
view,  immediately  to  our  left ;  distant  some  two  or 
three  miles  are  the  hills  of  Kalabat  Kezzeh.  Border- 
ing the  road  to  the  left  is  an  immense,  nicely  kept 
vineyard  ;  on  the  right  an  artificial  aqueduct  conveying 
water  for  irrigating  purposes,  I  suppose,  from  the 
Pharpar  river;  south  and  southeast  the  extensive  plain 
of  Damascus,  which,  as  far  as  can  be  seen,  seems  to  be 
as  level  as  a  floor.  What  a  beautiful  plain !  Long 
lines  of  silver  poplars  follow  the  courses  of  beautiful 
brooks  and  the  aqueducts  as  they  wend  their  way 
eastward  through  the  valley  to  empty  their  waters 
into  the  lakes  lying  on  the  border  of  the  desert 
eighteen  or  twenty  miles  east  of  Damascus. 

The  silver  poplar,  a  thrifty  tree,  grows  abundantly 
here  and  forms  a  characteristic  feature  of  the  environs 


,584  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

of  Damascus.  It  is  chiefly  used  for  building  purposes. 
Having  no  large  or  wide  extending  branches  it  grows 
tall  and  straight.  When  used  for  second  floor  joists 
the  only  work  done  to  them  is  to  trim  off  the  limbs 
and  strip  off  the  bark.  Rooms  are  not  ceiled  overhead 
in  Damascus.  These  round  joists  are  put  very  close 
together  to  make  a  steady  floor  and  then  painted.  I 
don't  think  they  have  any  house-carpenters  in  the  old 
city. 

The  history  of  this  old  city  (Damascus)  reaches  back 
into  the  mists  of  antiquity.  Josephus  says  it  was 
founded  by  Uz,  the  son  of  Aram,  and  the  name  of  its 
territory  as  given  in  the  bible  as  Aram  Demesk  is 
almost  identical  with  the  modern  Arab  name,  which 
means  "  Damascus  of  Syria."  It  was  a  noted  place  in 
the  days  of  Abraham.  Some  centuries  later -it  came 
under  the  rule  of  the  Ben-Hadads,  the  rivals  of  Israel ; 
and  during  this  period  Naaman  came  to  Samaria  to  be 
healed  of  his  leprosy. 

In  the  time  of  the  prophet  Elisha,  Hazael  smothered 
with  a  wet  towel  and  killed  Ben-Hadad  and  reigned  in 
his  stead,  and  made  a  change  of  dynasty;  but  soon 
after,  Damascus  was  captured  by  Tiglath  Pileser  and 
its  people  carried  away  to  Kir  in  Assyria.  Colonists 
from  Assyria  were  then  placed  in  the  city  and  it  con- 
tinued for  many  centuries  a  province  of  that  empire. 
Damascus  was  taken  by  Alexander  the  Great,  and  after 
his  death  was  attached  to  the  Kingdom  of  the  Seleu- 
cidae.  In  64  B.  C.  the  Romans  under  Pompey  captured 
it  and  it  remained  under  the  Romans  until  37  A.  D., 
when  Aratus,  king  of  Arabia,  captured  it,  and  it  was 
held  by  him  when  Saul  was  there. 

The  first  mention  of  this  old  city  in  the  Bible  was 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  585 

made  by  Abram  to  the  Lord  God,  when  he  told  him 
he  was  childless  and  the  steward  of  his  house  was  "  this 
Eliezer  of  Damascus."  According  to  Amos,  the  inhab- 
itants seem  to  have  come  from  Kir,  which  probably 
lay  north  of  Aleppo.  This  same  prophet  says  they 
were  afterwards  banished  to  Kir.  And  another  writer 
of  the  Scriptures  says  the  kings  of  Assyria  went  up 
against  Damascus  and  took  it,  and  carried  the  people  of 
it  captive  to  Kir.  David  conquered  this  city,  after  a 
bloody  war,  as  it  was  allied  with  his  enemy  the  king 
of  Zobah,  and  placed  a  garrison  in  it.  During  the 
reign  of  Solomon  an  adventurer  named  Rezin  fled  from 
his  Lord  Hadadezer,  king  of  Zobah,  and  gathering  a 
company  went  to  Damascus  and  usurped  the  sover- 
eignty and  reigned  as  king,  and  proved  an  adversary  of 
Israel  all  the  days  of  Solomon.  After  the  death  of 
Solomon  and  the  division  of  the  empire,  the  policy  of 
the  kingdom  of  Judah  was  to  foster  the  hostility  of  the 
princes  of  Damascus  against  the  northern  kingdom. 
Several  of  these  princes  bore  the  name  of  Ben-Hadad. 

The  book  of  1st  Kings  is  largely  composed  of  an 
account  of  the  frequent  invasions  of  Canaan,  and  the 
consequent  wars  and  conflicts  between  the  Israelites 
and  the  kings  of  Syria  and  princes  of  Damascus. 

Owing  to  the  hostility  between  the  two  Jewish 
kingdoms  the  Assyrians  could  attack  Israel  unopposed. 
On  one  occasion  Hazael  devastated  the  country  east  of 
the  Jordan  and  crossed  that  river  and  went  across  the 
country  and  captured  Gath  and  set  his  face  to  go  up 
to  Jerusalem.  But  Jehoash,  king  of  Judah,  bought 
him  off  from  taking  Jerusalem  with  a  large  sum. 

Ben-Hadad  III,  the  son  of  Hazael,  was  not  as  suc- 
cessful, however,  as  his  father.  Jeroboam  succeeded 


586     .  TKAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

for  a  time  in  restoring  Israel  to  its  former  power,  and 
we  learn  that  he  even  captured  Damascus  itself.  After 
this,  Pekah,  king  of  Israel,  formed  an  alliance  with 
Rezin,  of  Damascus,  against  Jothan,  king  of  Judah. 
They  marched  against  Jerusalem  but  had  very  little 
success  against  Ahaz,  who,  in  the  meantime,  had 
ascended  the  throne  of  Judah,  although  he  was  com- 
pelled to  surrender  Elah,  a  seaport  town  on  the  Red 
Sea,  to  the  Edomites. 

After  this  Ahaz  invited  Tiglath  Pileser,  king  of  As 
syria,  to  aid  him  against  the  Assyrians.  This  proved  to  be 
an  ill-judged  step,  which  resulted  disastrously  to  the 
whole  of  Palestine.  The  story  of  this  old  city  is  long 
and  intricate,  and  I  don't  think  it  advisable  to  weary 
the  reader  by  following  its  fortunes  through  its  vari- 
ous vicissitudes. 

Suffice  it  to  say  that  Damascus  was  captured  by  the 
Arabs  in  635,  Mohammed  having  died  three  years 
before,  the  policy  of  conquest  and  subjugation  which 
was  inaugurated  by  him  having  been  sucessfully  car. 
ried  on  by  his  successors. 

I  must  mention,  however,  the  brutal  massacre  of 
1860,  one  indirect  cause  of  which  was  an  article  in  the 
treaty  of  Paris,  1856.  This  article  was  designed  to  ex- 
clude foreign  intervention  in  the  affairs  of  Turkey  and 
which  was  thought  to  place  the  Christians  entirely  at 
the  mercy  of  the  Sultan.  The  minds  of  the  Mohamme- 
dans were  in  an  excited  condition  on  account  of  the 
insurrection  against  the  English  in  India.  The  sol- 
diers and  the  Druse  population  began  on  the  9th  of 
July,  1860,  to  devastate  the  Christian  quarter  of  the 
city,  and  that  whole  quarter  of  the  city  soon  became  a 
heap  of  ruins.  The  residences  of  all  the  consuls  except 


AND  THE   HOLY   LAND.  587 

the  English  and  Prussians  were  burned  down  and  the 
most  savage  excesses  were  committed  by  the  infuriated 
assassins. 

"Many  Christians  had  sought  an  assylum  in  the 
house  of  the  Moslems,  but  on  the  llth  of  July  the  pop- 
ulace began  to  search  for  and  murder  them.  Abdel 
Kader,  the  Algerian  ex-chief,  with  his  Moorish  retinue, 
succeeded  in  saving  many  Christians,  while  the  Pasha 
himself  looked  quietly  on.  No  fewer  than  6,000 
unoffending  Christians  are  said  to  have  been  murdered 
in  this  city  alone — their  bodies  lay  in  heaps  throughout 
the  city.  Many  of  the  clergy  were  murdered  beside 
the  altars  where  they  had  sought  refuge." 

The  Christian  quarters  of  Damascus  show  to  this  day 
the  effects  of  the  devastation  to  which  it  was  subjected 
on  that  occasion. 

Similar  tragedies  took  place  among  the  Lebanon 
mountains,  where  the  Druses  gave  vent  to  their  in  vet 
erate  hatred  to  the  Maronites.  The  whole  number  of 
Christians  who  perished  in  these  days  is  estimated  at 
fourteen  thousand 

All  Europe  expressed  their  indignation  of  this 
inhuman  affair,  which  caused  the  Turkish  government 
to  arrest  and  behead  a  few  of  the  ringleaders,  Ashmed 
Pasha  being  one  of  the  number.  This  wholesale  mur- 
der was  in  the  main  the  work  of  the  Druses,  and  this 
sect  is  charged  with  it  in  Damascus  at  the  present 
time. 

From  a  very  early  period  the  Arabians  had  regarded 
Damascus  as  a  prototype  of  paradise  where  there  was 
a  foretaste  or  realization  of  the  joys  of  heaven. 

No  doubt  "Damascus, when  her  walnut  trees  are  in  full 
foilage  and  the  vines  climbing  from  tree  to  tree,  and 


588  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

when  her  large  apricot  trees  bear  their  golden  fruits  in 
the  midst  of  their  large  green  foliage,  and  the  pome- 
granates are  in  the  '  perfection  of  their  blossom,'  forms 
such  a  striking  contrast  to  the  barren  hills  and  desolate 
sandy  wastes  of  Arabia,  that  to  the  Arabian  it  appears 
a  paradise  indeed."  But  one  who  is  accustomed  to  the 
rich,  luxuriant  vegetation  of  America,  and  who  has 
visited  the  beautiful  gardens  and  tastily  arranged 
parks  and  ornamented  grounds  so  common  in  and 
around  our  American  cities,  feels  disappointed  in  this 
particular  when  he  sees  Damascus.  I  was  very  much 
disappointed  in  the  city  and  its  surroundings.  From 
what  I  had  read  about  it  I  was  expecting,  perhaps, 
too  much. 

It  is  beautifully  located  on  the  west  margin  of  the 
great  Syrian  desert,  and  bounded  on  three  sides  by 
mountains.  Close  to  the  city  on  the  northwest  rises  a 
bare  mountain  called  Kasiun,  west  of  which  rises  old 
Hermon  in  the  midst  of  and  overlooking  the  anti- 
Lebanon  mountains.  Owing  to  its  altitude,  frosts  are 
not  uncommon  in  winter,  but  such  a  thing  as  fire-places 
and  heating  stoves  are  unknown.  The  city  lies  two 
thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  sea  level. 

Several  beautiful  streams  come  dashing  down  the 
mountain  gorges  into  the  valley,  the  loveliest  of  them 
all,  however,  is  the  Abana,  which  divides  into  seven 
branches  as  it  reaches  the  plain.  Two  of  the  main 
streams  are  used  to  distribute  water  in  numerous  con- 
duits throughout  the  city.  These  are  walled  up  with 
stone,  having  stone  steps  every  now  and  then,  leading 
down  to  the  water,  for  the  convenience  of  the  inhabi- 
tants. The  other  streams  are  used  for  irrigating  the 
orchards  and  gardens  which  encircle  the  city.  The 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  591 

water  from  this  river  is  distributed  through  reservoirs 
into  the  interior  of  many  of  the  dwellings. 

In  summer  the  inhabitants  live  mainly  on  fruit, 
which  is  not  at  all  times  well  matured,  and  notwith- 
standing the  cold  nights  and  heavy  dews,  they  sleep  on 
the  flat  roofs  of  their  houses.  As  a  result,  they  suffer 
from  ophthalmia,  dysentery  and  intermittent  fevers. 
These  sudden  changes  of  temperature,  where  the  ther- 
mometer ranges  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and 
four  degrees  (Fahrenheit)  every  day  during  the  summer 
months,  and  drops  down  to  an  unpleasantly  cool,  damp 
temperature  at  night,  are  indications  of  an  unhealthy 
climate  in  all  countries. 

But  in  addition  to  this  the  inhabitants  depend  solely 
upon  numerous  masterless,  ill-looking  dogs  for  keeping 
their  cities  free  from  all  manner  of  carrion  and  garbage. 
And  what  these  dogs  don't  devour  is  allowed  to  accumu- 
late and  rot  in  the  streets  and  alleys.  Consequently, 
the  atmosphere  is  filled  with  all  manner  of  disease- 
producing  germs.  The  streets  are  sprinkled  by  the 
water  carriers  as  shown  in  illustration. 

Damascus  has  a  population  estimated  at  one  hundred 
and  ten  thousand.  Of  this  number  ninety  thousand  are 
Mohammedans.  The  form  of  this  city  resembles,  some- 
what, a  spoon,  the  handle  represented  by  the  noted 
street  called  "  Strait."  This  street  is  noted  from  the 
following  circumstance :  When  Saul  arose  from  the 
earth,  after  having  been  striken  down,  as  was  related  in 
the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  and  opened  his  eyes  he 
found  he  was  blind,  arid  his  comrades  had  to  lead  him 
into  the  city.  He  continued  blind  for  three  days. 
"  Neither  did  he  eat  nor  drink  anything."  There  was  a 
certain  disciple  of  our  Lord's  living  in  Damascus  at  that 


592  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

time  named  Ananias.  The  Lord  told  Ananias  to  go 
into  the  street,  which  is  called  "  Strait,"  and  inquire  at 
the  house  of  Judas  for  one  "Saul  of  Tarsus,"  "for 
behold  he  prayeth."  I  wonder  if  this  was  the  first 
time  this  pharisee  ever  prayed  ?  Paul  was  a  Jew,  and 
tells  us  he  had  lived  after  the  straightest  sect  of  their 
religion.  He  was  a  pharisee,  and  the  Savior  tells  us 
"that  they  were  hypocrites,"  that  they  "devoured 
widows'  houses,"  and  for  a  pretense  made  "long prayers." 
And  "  prayed  on  the  street  corners  to  be  seen  of 
men."  From  the  reading  and  from  what  the  Lord 
said  to  Ananias,  we  may  infer  that  the  first  prayer  Saul 
ever  uttered  in  his  life  that  reached  the  throne  of  God, 
were  the  prayers  which  welled  up  from  his  soul  during 
the  three  days  that  God  had  his  hand  over  his  eyes. 

I  have  often  thought  how  I  would  like  to  know  what 
Saul  prayed  for,  or  what  he  said.  I  wonder  if  he 
prayed  for  the  salvation  of  the  Hittites,  the  Perizzites, 
Moa  bites,  the  Jebusites,  and  the  Amalekites,  the  Arabi- 
ans in  their  sandy  plains,  the  Africans  in  their  jungles, 
the  Egyptians,  the  Ethiopians,  and  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth,  calling  them  out,  one  by  one,  as  we  some- 
times hear  men  do  in  these  days.  I  wonder  if  Saul 
could  be  heard  all  over  Damascus,  hallooing  at  the  top 
of  his  voice  as  if  God  was  deaf,  as  we  not  infrequently 
hear  men  pray  in  our  day.  I  wonder  if,  in  after  years, 
Paul,  in  his  public  ministry,  kept  his  congregations  in 
the  posture  of  prayer  until  their  knees  were  sore,  think- 
ing he  would  be  heard  "for  his  much  speaking." 

I  rather  expect  Saul  felt  the  hand  of  God  upon  him 
and  said :  "  Lord,  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sinner. " 
Amen ! 

The  inhabitants  in  Damascus,  as  in  Jerusalem,  are 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  593 

divided  off  into  different  quarters.  The  Jews  live  in 
the  southeastern  part  of  town,  and,  as  in  the  days  of 
the  apostles,  near  the  street  called  "  Strait."  North 
of  this  is  the  Christian  quarter  where  the  streets,  if 
they  deserve  the  name,  are  very  narrow  and  wretch- 
edly out  of  repair,  and  the  houses  in  a  ruinous  condi- 
tion; partly  owing,  no  doubt,  to  the  sad  events  which 
transpired  in  this  town  in  1860,  just  related. 

The  other  parts  of  the  city  are  occupied  by  Moham- 
medans, including  a  portion  which  is  occupied  alone 
by  a  poor  class  of  peasants.  I  noticed,  in  walking  the 
streets  of  Damascus,  that  these  quarters  were  sub- 
divided into  smaller  sections,  and  closed  in  by  wooden 
gates  placed  across  the  narrow  alley.  These  gates  are 
closed  and  locked  at  night.  When  you  approach  one 
of  them  after  night  it  will  be  opened  to  the  call: 
"  Iftah-ya-Haris  "  (Open,  O  watchman). 

Nearly  all,  or  quite  all,  of  the  narrow  streets  in 
Damascus,  and  a  good  many  in  Jerusalem,  are  covered 
their  entire  length,  light  holes  being  arranged  at 
certain  intervals. 

The  shops  here,  as  in  all  these  Oriental  cities,  are 
such  as  I  have  hereinbefore  described, — small,  that  is 
having  but  little  front,  and  shallow  in  depth.  The 
proprietor,  whether  merchant,  artisan,  jeweler,  sad- 
dler, or  whatever  may  be  his  business,  sits  down  on 
the  floor,  which  is  elevated  about  two  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  street,  and  not  only  does  his  selling  and 
bartering  but  also  his  manufacturing  sitting  tailor 
fashion  on  the  floor. 

Reader,  by  keeping  the  scenes  described  to  you  in 
the  bazaars  at  Cairo  in  your  mind,  I  have  but  to  say, 
you  see  the  same  here.  Every  business  has  its  street 


594  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

or  bazaar,  such  as  silk  bazaar,  saddle  bazaar,  shoe 
bazaar,  cloth  bazaar,  etc. 

The  streets  are  not  called  by  these  names,  however, 
but  all  the  trade  or  business  and  manufacturing  done  on 
certain  streets  are  in  one  line  of  articles.  On  Broad 
street,  which  we  find  by  turning  to  the  left  from  our 
hotel  (Hotel  Dimitri ),  and  when  we  reach  the  river, 
instead  of  crossing  over  the  bridge  which  carries  us  into 
the  horse  market,  we  again  turn  to  the  left  and  cross 
the  river  a  little  further  on  by  walking  diagonally 
across  an  open  square.  The  river  runs  beneath  the  plaza. 
At  the  righthand  corner  of  the  square  or  plaza  we  enter 
Broad  Street.  Along  this  street  we  observe  a  great 
many  coppersmith  shops,  and  among  the  articles  dis- 
played for  sale  are  what  is  called  "oriental  dinner 
services.  "  The  principal  dish  or  tray  standing  in  the 
midst  of  the  other  articles  is  three,  four,  and  even  as 
much  as  six  feet  in  diameter. 

One  of  our  interpreters,  a  Bethlehemite,  informed  me 
that  a  man's  hospitality  here  is  usually  gauged  by  the 
size  of  his  tray. 

E-unning  out  from  Broad  Street  are  numerous  narrow 
streets  with  shops  on  either  side,  where  a  lively  trade  is 
carried  on. 

Beggars  are  not  as  numerous  here  as  in  Palestine, 
but  the  dogs!  the  dogs!  and  the  fleas!  the  fleas!  oh 
my !  1  They  are  as  thick  as  office  seekers  in  Washing- 
ton City  just  after  a  presidential  election. 

Just  think  of  working  your  way  along  one  of  these 
alleys  only  ten  feet  in  width  crowded  with  people, 
camels,  donkeys,  and  every  few  feet  as  you  go  along 
having  to  walk  around  or  step  over  a  big  lazy  cur 
stretched,  full  length  and  fast  asleep,  in  the  middle  of 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  595 

the  street.  It  is  provoking  beyond  measure.  You  feel 
inclined  to  kick  him,  but  he  may  bite  you  if  you  do, 
and  if  he  doesn't  bite  you  he  is  apt  to  raise  such  a  howl 
that  all  his  friends  in  hearing  will  come  to  his  rescue, 
for  dogs  have  their  friends  the  same  as  people.  In  these 
oriental  cities  you  have  to  "  beware  of  dogs. " 

When  down  in  the  Jewish  quarter  we  were  permitted 
to  look  through  the  rooms  of  the  residence  of  a  rich 
Jew.  As  the  house  was  built,  finished  and  furnished 
in  truly  oriental  style,  I  can  simply  say  it  was  magnifi- 
cent and  costly.  The  interior  architectural  designs  and 
the  decorations  were  such  as  I  had  never  seen  before, 
and  such  as  I  could  not  describe  if  I  wanted  to  do  so. 

After  enjoying  a  stroll  through  this  rich  Jew's 
mansion  and  admiring  the  fine  Turkish  rugs  which 
covered  the  floors,  the  silk  tapestry  which  adorned  the 
walls,  the  interior  woodwork  inlaid  with  mother  of 
pearl,  the  walls  and  ceilings  beautifully  carved  and 
chiseled  in  granite  and  marble,  I  remarked,  when 
looking  at  this  magnificent  work,  that  it  gave  employ- 
ment to  several  hundred  artists  for  years  to  complete 
the  decorations.  All  around  the  rooms  are  richly  deco- 
rated divans  fitted  up  in  luxurious  style.  The  spacious 
court,  paved  with  various-colored  stone,  with  "a  large 
fountain  in  the  centre  bordered  with  groups  of  orange, 
lemon  and  pomegranite  trees,  a  large  open  colonnade 
bordered  with  soft  couches,  etc.  After  seeing  all  this, 
and  then  strolling  through  the  streets  in  its  immediate 
vicinity,  and  seeing  for  myself  the  extreme  poverty  of 
his  people  all  around  him,  I  said  to  the  friend  by  my 
side  :  "  I  wouldn't  live  in  that  rich  man's  house  if  he 
would  make  me  a  present  of  it."  The  huts  of  the 
starving  standing  in  the  shadow  of  the  palace  of  the 


596  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

rich  Jew,  another  instance  of  the  glittering  wheels  of 
the  chariot  of  Dives  throwing  dust  on  the  tattered 
garments  of  the  starving  Lazarus." 

Damascus  is  the  largest  city  in  Syria,  and  here  the 
traveler  has  the  best  opportunity  of  observing  the 
characteristics  of  this  people. 

They  are  undeniably  mere  energetic  and  industrious 
than  the  Arabs  of  Palestine.  They  are  a  manufacturing 
people,  and  this  little  city  is  one  vast  workshop. 

If  you  stop  at  a  shop  to  buy  an  article,  however, 
every  shopkeeper  in  hearing  and  every  passer-by  gathers 
around  and  tries  to  help  the  man  make  a  sale  of  his 
goods.  The  price  asked  for  an  article  is  usually  triple 
or  double  its  value.  If  you  have  an  interpreter  and  he 
is  an  Arabian,  you  have  to  watch  him  or  he  will  be  a 
partner  of  the  salesman  before  you  are  aware  of  it. 
Fair,  open,  honest  dealing  is  wholly  out  of  their  line  of 
transacting  business. 

Damascus  boasts  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  mosques 
and  schools ;  their  chief  branch  of  study  being  theol- 
ogy, that  is,  the  Koran  and  the  traditions  of  their 
prophets.  All  other  branches,  except  a  little  grammar, 
logic  and  philosophy,  are  entirely  neglected.  The 
Moslems  here,  as  elsewhere,  are  ignorant,  proud  and 
fanatical. 

I  took  a  ride  down  the  Meidan,  which  is  one  mile 
long  and  carries  one  to  the  gate  of  the  city  called 
"  God's  gate."  The  street  is  broad  but  poorly  paved. 
This  is  the  street  from  which  all  pilgrimages  to  Mecca, 
by  way  of  Medina,  were  formerly  made.  But  since 
steamboat  Jines  have  been  established  on  the  Red  Sea 
and  the  Persian  Gulf,  but  few  Persians  and  North 
Africans  now  come  to  Damascus  to  begin  the  fatiguing 


AND  THE   HOLY   LAND.  597 

overland  journey  of  twenty-seven  days  to  Mecca,  by 
way  of  Medina. 

An  eye-witness  describes  a  return  of  pilgrims  from 
Mecca  as  follows :  "  On  these  occasions  are  seen  gro 
tesque  camel  litters,  rudely  made  of  wood,  covered  with 
colored  cloth  and  open  in  front,  containing  several 
inmates  reclining  on  beds.  The  litter  is  sometimes 
borne  by  two  camels,  one  before,  the  other  behind, 
which  are  trained  to  keep  step  with  each  other.  The 
camels  are  adorned  with  a  head-gear  of  leather  straps, 
to  which  shells,  coins  and  small  bells  are  attached.  A 
handsome  richly  caparisoned  camel  bears  a  large  litter, 
which  is  hung  with  green  cloth  embroidered  with  gold, 
and  contains  and  old  Koran  and  the  green  flag  of  the 
prophet." 

This  writer  further  states  that  some  of  the  pilgrims 
have  an  eye  to  business  as  well  as  religious  duty,  and 
bring  back  goods  from  Mecca.  When  this  is  the  case 
the  merchants  of  Damascus  travel  as  far  as  into  Hau- 
ran  to  meet  them.  The  pilgrims  are  accompanied  by 
many  half-naked  dervishes  and  by  an  escort  of  soldiers 
composed  of  Druses  and  Bedouins. 

This  "God's  gate,"  as  it  is  called,  is  the  way  of 
entrance  for  the  caravans  coming  in  from  the  south 
and  east.  It  is  not  unusual  to  see  long  strings  of  laden 
camels  stalking  through  the  streets  accompanied  by 
ragged,  yet  proud  and  independent,  Bedouins.  These 
wild  or  tent-dwelling  Arabs  called  Bedouins,  poor  as 
they  are,  often  ride  beautiful  horses,  and  guide  them 
with  a  halter  only.  The  rider  is  usually  armed  with  a 
long  lance,  less  frequently  an  old  flint  and  steel  gun. 

I  tried  to  handle  one  of  their  lances,  but  concluded  I 
could  do  about  as  good  fighting  with  a  fence  rail,  so  I 


598  TKAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

handed  it  back  to  the  owner,  a  Sheik,  and  thanked 
him. 

Near  the  east  gate  of  the  city  we  visited  a  small 
church  with  a  crypt  or  subterranean  burial-place. 
Tradition  points  this  out  as  the  location  of  Ananias' 
house.  Not  far  from  this  gate  and  north  of  the 
eastern  termination  of  Strait  street  we  find  the 
lepers'  hospital,  said  to  be  located  on  the  site  of  Naa- 
man's  house. 

In  company  with  two  or  three  of  my  traveling  com- 
panions I  went  into  the  enclosure  and  saw  its  wretched 
inmates ;  the  most  of  whom,  however,  were  out  around 
the  city  begging  alms  the  day  we  were  there.  I  and 
my  companions  were  astonished  to  find  the  enclosure 
destitute  of  shade  trees  and  even  stumps  of  trees.  As 
we  had  with  us  a  popular  recently  written  work  on 
travels  in  the  Holy  Land  in  which  the  writer  describes 
his  visit  to  this  hospital  in  quite  a  pathetic  strain, 
among  other  things  he  says  "  when  he  entered  the  en- 
closure the  lepers  were  sitting  under  '  shade  trees.' "  We 
could  see  no  evidence  of  there  having  been  shade  trees 
in  the  enclosure  for  lo,  these  many  years. 

Our  conductor  and  interpreter,  who  had  been  visiting 
Damascus  frequently  for  the  last  fifteen  years,  informed 
us  that  he  had  never  seen  a  shade  tree  in  the  enclosure. 
How  such  a  mistake  could  have  been  made  by  the 
author  I  am  unable  to  understand.  I  am  sure,  however, 
it  was  a  mistake.  He  may  have  entertained  the  opin- 
ion that  leprosy  was  a  very  contagious  disease,  and  the 
poor  fellow  may  have  been  scared  out  of  his  wits.  At 
all  events  he  makes  a  very  egregious  mistake  when  he 
says  that  there  are  shade  trees  within  the  lepers'  hospital. 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  699 

inclosure  at  Damascus,  for  there  is  not  a  tree  nor  the 
stump  of  a  tree  in  it. 

These  poor  afflicted  creatures  which  one  frequently 
meets  with  in  the  Orient  are  surely  worthy  of  our 
sympathy  and  alms,  being  treated  as  outcasts  by  the 
natives.  In  the  suburbs  of  the  city  we  find  factories 
for  making  rope,  dyers  quarters,  wood  shops,  black- 
smithing,  lock  makers,  etc.,  etc.  The  old  city  is  sur- 
rounded with  a  strong  substantial  wall,  with  square 
stone  houses  erected  on  the  top  of  it  in  many  places. 
On  the  south  side  of  the  city  we  were  shown  a  house 
on  the  wall  from  which  it  is  said  Saul  was  let  down  by 
the  disciples.  You  remember  when  the  Lord  sent 
Ananias  to  visit  Saul  he  told  him  he  would  find  him  on 
Strait  street  at  the  house  of  Judas,  as  I  have  before  stated. 
Ananias  found  him  there  and  laid  his  hands  upon  him, 
that  he  might  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  have 
his  sight  restored ;  after  which  we  are  told  he  was 
baptized  forthwith. 

Saul  remained  in  Damascus  certain  days  and  preached 
Christ  in  the  synagogues,  that  he  was  "  the  Son  of  God," 
confounding  the  Jews  who  lived  in  the  city,  and  proving 
that  Jesus  was  the  Christ.  This  was  more  than  the 
Jews  could  stand ;  not  being  able  to  controvert  his 
arguments  or  to  rebut  his  testimony,  they  concluded 
to  get  rid  of  this  unimpeachable  witness  by  waylaying 
him  at  the  gates  of  the  city  and  killing  him. 

Saul  and  the  disciples,  being  apprised  of  the  intention 
of  the  Jews  to  assassinate  him  if  he  attempted  to  leave 
the  city  by  way  of  the  gates,  "  his  disciples  took  him  by 
night  and  let  him  down  by  the  wall  in  a  basket." 

When  you  see  these  houses  on  the  walls  of  Damascus, 


600  TRAVELS  IN   EGYPT 

you  say  at  once  'that  it  was  a  very  easy  and  very 
natural  way  of  getting  Saul  without  the  city. 

Saul  went  down  to  Jerusalem,  but  he  had  been  such 
a  persecutor  of  the  Christians  they  were  afraid  of  him, 
and  wouldn't  have  anything  to  do  with  him,  until 
Barnabas  took  him  to  the  apostles  and  declared  to 
them  that  Saul  had  been  converted  and  was  now  a  good 
fellow,  and  as  proof  of  what  he  said  he  told  them  that 
he  had  been  preaching  boldly  at  Damascus  in  the  name 
of  Jesus. 

The  walls  of  Damascus  have  in  the  years  gone  by 
been  broken  and  repaired  in  many  places.  In  other 
places,  however,  they  have  the  appearance  of  having 
withstood  the  ravages  of  time  and  the  devastating  hand 
of  man  for  many  long  centuries.  Tradition  claims 
that  the  wall  and  the  house  from  which  Saul  was  let 
down  by  the  disciples  has  never  been  destroyed. 

The  barren  hill,  Kasiun,  which  rises  conspicuously  to 
the  right  of  the  gorge  of  the  Abana  and  northwest 
from  the  city,  is  held  sacred  by  the  Moslems  because 
it  was  on  this  hill  that  Abraham  is  said  to  have  learned 
the  doctrine  of  the  unity  of  God.  It  is  believed  also 
that  Adam  lived  on  that  hill,  and  it  is  further  said 
that  Mohammed  once  visited  this  place  and  took  a  look 
at  Damascus,  but  did  not  enter  the  city. 

This  hill  consists  of  partly  reddish  stone  like  many 
others  in  that  country.  This  red-colored  stone  gave 
rise  to  the  legend  that  it  contained  a  blood-stained 
cavern  in  which  the  dead  body  of  Abel  was  hidden. 
These  Arabians  say  old  Father  Adam  lived  on  this  hill 
and  that  Cain  cultivated  some  of  this  pretty  valley 
land  and  Abel  herded  his  sheep  further  down  the  plain. 

Cain,  you  know,  got  angry  with  the  Lord  for  rejecting 


AND  THE   HOLY   LAND.  601 

his  offering,  and  gave  vent  to  his  mean,  malicious  dispo- 
sition by  killing  his  brother,  whose  offering  the  Lord 
had  accepted.  This  unfortunate  murder  shows  to  the 
human  family  where  we  get  our  wicked  meanness  from. 
It  has  been  passed  down  along  the  line  of  heredity  from 
the  beginning.  This  little  muddy  stream  poured  its 
corrupt  waters  into  the  current  at  the  fountain  head, 
and  the  little  leaven  has  leavened  the  whole  lump. 

As  before  stated,  there  are  two  hundred  and  forty- 
eight  mosques  and  schools  in  this  old  city.  Of  these 
seventy-one  are  large  mosques.  One  of  these,  called  the 
Great  Mosque,  I  will  call  your  attention  to,  as  some 
interesting  incidents  are  associated  with  it. 

This  Great  Mosque,  as  it  is  called,  and  through 
which  I  had  the  pleasure  of  going,  has  only  of  late 
years  been  thrown  open  to  the  public.  The  body  of 
the  building  is  one  hundred  and  forty-three  yards  long, 
and  forty-one  and  one-half  yards  wide. 

I  find  the  following  brief  description  given  of  the 
interior  of  this  celebrated  mosque  by  a  writer  far  better 
qualified  to  convey  a  correct  idea  of  it  than  I  am,  and 
therefore  give  the  reader  the  benefit  of  it :  "  It  is 
divided  into  three  isles  of  equal  breadth  by  two  ranges 
of  Corinthian  columns  twenty-two  feet  high,  supporting 
round  arches.  In  the  center  is  a  dome  resting  on  four 
massive  piers.  Underneath  is  said  to  be  a  cave  in 
which  the  head  of  John  the  Baptist  is  preserved  in  a 
golden  casket." 

The  mosque  has  three  minarets,  one  of  which  is  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  and  upon  it,  according  to 
Moslem  traditions,  Jesus  will  descend  in  the  day  of 
judgment. 

The  whole  area  occupied  by  this  immense  Moham- 


602  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

xnedan  house  of  worship  is  one  hundred  and  sixty-three 
yards  by  one  hundred  and  eight.  It  is  so  completely 
hemmed  in  by  buildings  around  the  outside  of  its  walls 
that  the  exterior  is  concealed  from  view.  The  whole 
of  the  interior  is  richly  carpeted  with  fine  Turkish  rugs. 
Somewhere  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  locality  of  this 
mosque  we  ascended  to  the  flat  roof  of  a  house  and 
then  leaped  over  a  four-foot  space  onto  the  roof  of 
another  to  get  a  view  of  the  upper  beam  of  the  gate 
entrance  to  the  mosque,  which  was  probably  used  by 
both  Christians  and  Moslems  when  the  mosque  was 
owned  by  them  jointly,  as  it  was  at  one  time.  On  this 
beam  is  a  well  preserved  inscription  in  Greek,  reading : 
"  Thy  kingdom,  O  Christ,  is  an  everlasting  kingdom, 
and  thy  dominion  endureth  throughout  all  generations." 
— Psalm  cxlv.  13.  The  words  "O  Christ,"  being  an 
interpolation. 

During  the  first  centuries  it  is  thought  a  heathen 
temple  stood  on  the  site  of  this  mosque.  Between  395 
and  408  A.  D.  the  temple  was  restored  and  converted 
into  a  Christian  church.  When  Damascus  was  taken  by 
the  Mohammedans,  led  by  that  intrepid  warrior  Khalid, 
assisted  by  Abu  Ubeida,  it  is  said  these  two  generals 
or  commanders  met  in  the  city  near  this  church ;  in 
consequence  of  which  that  part,  the  eastern  part,  was 
regarded  as  conquered,  while  the  undisturbed  possession 
of  the  western  part  was  guaranteed  to  the  Christians. 
The  Moslems  were  not  then  as  fanatical  as  now,  as 
they  habitually  entered  their  place  of  prayer  by  the 
same  gate  as  the  Christians.  In  the  6th  century 
Omaygad  Caliph  forcibly  took  the  Christians'  part  of 
the  church  from  them  and  converted  it  into  a  mosque. 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  603 

It  is  said  this  Caliph  struck  the  first  blow  to  demolish 
the  Christian  altar. 

Although  Damascus  has  a  population  of  one  hundred 
and  ten  thousand,  it  has  but  two  hotels,  and  only  one  of 
these  what  an  American  would  call  a  second  or  third- 
rate  hotel.  The  other  is  spoken  of  by  visitors  as  being 
unworthy  of  patronage. 

The  Arabs  have  no  use  for  hotels.  The  vast  majority 
of  them  in  traveling  go  with  caravans  and  sleep  where 
night  overtakes  them.  Before  leaving  Damascus  we 
visited  the  grave  of  their  great  warrior,  Saladin,  whose 
name  among  his  own  people  was  Noreddin.  He  was 
Sultan  of  Syria  in  the  12th  century  and  rendered  him- 
self famous  by  his  persevering  opposition  and  the 
determined  manner  in  which  he  fought  the  Crusaders. 
In  ascending  the  Cloth  bazar  we  find  his  mausoleum  on 
our  right.  The  visitor  has  no  difficulty  in  gaining 
admission. 


TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 


CHAPTEK  XXIV. 

"TTTHEN  we  leave  Damascus  for  Baalbec  we  ride  up 

V  V  the  gorge  through  which  the  Abana  river  makes 
its  way  to  the  plain.  I  never  saw  a  lovelier  stream  than 
this.  Every  few  hundred  yards  copious  streams  fed 
by  large  streams  come  dashing  headlong  down  the 
mountain  sides. 

The  narrow  valley  and  mountain  sides  are  well 
timbered. 

One  and  a  half  miles  from  Damascus  we  come  to  a 
post  station,  and  a  few  miles  further  on  we  leave  the 
main  road  and  turn  to  the  right  and  pass  over  some 
white  limestone  hills,  the  Abana  gorge  being  too  narrow 
here  to  be  traversed. 

For  the  next  hour  we  ride  over  a  dreary  elevated 
plateau.  This  is  said  to  be  a  favorite  resort  for  gazelles, 
but  we  saw  none.  After  riding  about  four  miles  we 
descend  into  a  small  cultivated  valley  to  the  left, 
pass  a  small  village,  and  soon  reach  another  in  the  river 
valley. 

The  rich,  luxuriant  foliage  of  the  silver  poplars  in  the 
floor  of  the  valley  and  for  some  distance  up  the  sides 
of  the  mountains  afford  an  agreeable  contrast  with  the 
bare  mountains.  Our  route  leads  us  up  the  Abana,  the 
gorge  varying  in  width,  spring  after  spring  pouring 
its  clear,  beautiful  water  into  the  stream.  At  noon  we 
find  our  lunch  tent  pitched  at  the  spring  of  El  Tizeh, 
which  is  regarded  as  the  chief  source  of  the  Abana  river. 

I  wish  every  reader  of  these  pages  could  see  this 
spring,  this  powerful  volume  of  beautiful,  clear  water 

604 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  605 

bursting  from  beneath  the  mountain  rocks.  Some  of 
the  most  beautiful  works  of  our  God  are  hid  away  from 
the  eyes  of  men  in  secret  recesses  of  mountain  fastnesses 
or  deep  down  in  the  caves  and  caverns  of  the  earth,  or 
in  the  depths  of  waters  of  lakes,  seas  and  oceans. 

Nature  has  made  this  one  of  the  loveliest  spots,  one 
of  the  grandest  water  scenes  it  has  ever  been  my  good 
fortune  to  see.  Above  the  cavern  from  which  gushes 
the  spring  rises  a  kind  of  platform  consisting  partly 
of  loose  stone  and  partly  of  masonry.  In  the  rear  of 
this  are  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  temple.  This  temple 
is  situated  a  few  steps  south  of  the  spring.  The  side 
walls  are  thirty-seven  feet  long  and  the  end  walls 
twenty-six  and  a  half,  the  walls  being  three  and 
one-half  feet  thick.  The  whole  building  seems  to 
have  been  at  one  time  vaulted  over.  Large  stones 
project  on  the  outer  lateral  walls,  leaving  corre- 
sponding niches  on  the  interior.  Facing  the  river,  or, 
as  I  would  call  it,  the  large  mountain  creek,  was  once 
a  door. 

This  is  a  very  ancient  and  venerable  shrine  which 
was,  doubtless,  dedicated  to  the  river  god.  It  is 
enclosed  or  surrounded  by  a  beautiful  grove.  We 
were  enchanted  by  this  lovely  display  of  the  beautiful, 
and  could  but  have  respect  for  the  devotion  which 
prompted  the  primitive  inhabitants  of  these  moun- 
tains to  give  expression  to  their  Jove  of  these  mani- 
festations of  the  Deity  by  erecting  and  dedicating  a 
temple  to  His  honor  and  praise. 

One  of  our  servants  carelessly  hitched  a  donkey  to 
one  of  the  trees  near  the  spring.  The  donkey  of 
course  barked  the  tree,  slightly  however,  but  enough 
to  give  an  old  woman  who  lived  near  by  (who  with 


606  TRAVELS   IN    EGTPT 

others  had  come  to  our  tent  to  see  us  eat  with  knives 
and  forks,  I  suppose)  an  excuse  to  demand  "back- 
shee"  for  damages  done  the  tree  by  the  hungry 
donkev. 

«/ 

After  luncheon,  when  we  mounted  our  horses  to 
start  on  our  afternoon  ride,  the  old  lady  untied  the 
donkey  from  the  tree  and  holding  the  halter-line  in 
her  hand  refused  to  let  the  servant  have  the  donkey 
until  he  paid  the  damages  demanded.  Such  pushing, 
pulling  and  quarrelling  I  never  heard.  "We  sat  on 
our  horses  for  some  time  watching  the  contention 
and  struggle  for  the  donkey.  It  was  a  case  in  which 
Turk  met  Turk.  Finally  we  rode  off  and  left  them, 
but  the  old  woman  triumphed  in  the  end.  The  con 
test,  contention  and  strife  was  kept  up,  however, 
until  near  sundown  before  the  man  would  pay  the 
backshee  of  ten  cents,  demanded. 

From  the  Tizeh  spring  our  path  continued  to  ascend 
the  valley,  following  the  windings  of  the  brook 
between  cliffs  from  eight  hundred  to  one  thousand  feet 
high.  We  reach  the  mountain  plateau  after  a  few 
miles  of  travel,  passing  small  villages  on  the  right  and 
left.  Beyond  the  ruins  of  an  old  Greek  temple  we 
cross  the  stream  and  reach  the  direct  road  which  leads 
us  on  still  up  the  river  to  Abilene,  where  we  rest  for 
the  night. 

This  town  is  spoken  of  by  St.  Luke,  who  mentions  a 
certain  Lasanias  as  having  been  Tetrarch  of  Abilene  in 
the  fifteenth  year  of  the  reign  of  Tiberius.  The  town 
is  prettily  located  on  the  upper  waters  of  the  Abana, 
where  it  makes  a  bend  at  the  outlet  of  a  defile,  which 
the  stream  has  formed  for  itself  between  precipitous 
cliffs.  On  the  face  of  these  high  cliffs  are  shaft  tombs, 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  607 

some  of  them  seemingly  inaccessible.  I  counted  forty  of 
these  tombs  at  various  heights  from  the  valley  in  the 
face  of  the  cliff.  How  the  friends  of  these  dead  peo- 
ple arranged  or  suspended  the  scaffolding  to  hew  out 
their  burial-places,  two  or  three  hundred  feet  up  on  the 
face  of  these  perpendicular  cliffs,  is  a  mystery  to  me. 
We  see  no  such  ingenuity  displayed  elsewhere.  We 
see  them  all  through  Palestine  and  Syria.  In  some 
instances  the  ends  of  the  shafts  are  closed  with  slabs 
of  stone,  others  open. 

Our  tents  are  pitched  upon  an  elevated  plateau,  and 
here  is  an  Arab  who  seems  anxious  to  make  a  pittance 
for  himself  by  conducting  some  of  our  party  up  the 
mountain  in  the  rear  of  ou/  camp  to  the  tomb  of  Abel. 
Two  gentlemen  of  our  company  concluded  to  make  the 
ascent  to  see  what  was  to  be  seen.  The  mountain  was 
some  six  hundred  or  more  feet  above  the  plateau  upon 
which  our  tents  rested.  On  the  summit  of  the  moun- 
tain they  found  a  small  mosque  covering  the  tomb  of 
this  one  of  our  forefathers.  Judging  from  the  size  of 
this  tomb,  as  reported  by  the  aforesaid  gentlemen, 
that  is,  that  the  tomb  was  about  twenty  feet  long, 
Abel  must  have  been  the  progenitor  of  the  race  of 
giants  of  whom  we  read  in  the  old  Bible. 

What  a  strange  fancy  these  Arabians  have  of  bury- 
ing their  dead  upon  the  apex  of  the  highest  hills.  I 
suppose  their  motive  is  to  get  them  as  near  heaven  as 
they  can.  If  that  be  thsir  aim,  it  is  no  bad  idea,  for  I 
imagine  the  summit  of  one  of  these  mountains  is  about 
as  near  to  heaven  as  some  of  them  will  ever  get. 

On  leaving  our  camping-ground  we  continue  the 
ascent  of  the  gorge,  and  about  a  mile  beyond  the  village 
reach  a  bridge  across  the  stream.  After  crossing  this 


608 

we  climb  a  steep  hill  and  reach  an  ancient  road  skirting 
the  cliff.  About  one  hundred  feet  higher  up  the  cliff  is 
another  road  hewn  in  the  solid  rock  from  thirteen  to 
sixteen  feet  wide  and  cut  down  into  the  mountain  from 
ten  to  thirty  feet  in  depth.  This  cut  is  about  three 
hundred  paces  long,  at  the  northeast  end  it  terminates 
in  a  precipice.  When  built,  however,  by  Marcus  Aure- 
lius  the  gorge  at  that  end  of  the  road  was  bridged  over 
to  the  next  hill  A  Latin  inscription  chiseled  in  the  face 
of  the  stone  on  one  side  of  the  road  informs  us  that  the 
road  was  built  a  little  after  the  middle  of  the  2d  cen- 
tury during  the  reigns  of  Marcus  Aurelius  and  Lucius 
Yerus,  at  the  expense  of  the  citizens  of  Abila  or  Abi- 
lene, a  village  of  two  thousand  inhabitants.  That  was 
very  kind  of  those  Roman  emperors,  I  am  sure,  for  at 
that  time  it  was  far  more  expensive  than  building  a  rail- 
road at  the  present  day. 

In  this  cut  road  I  secured  a  very  valuable  and 
ancient  souvenir,  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  hoof  of 
Baalam's  donkey.  I  had  some  doubts  at  first  of  its 
being  genuine,  but  the  committee  on  antiquities,  com- 
posed of  the  two  gentlemen  who  pronounced  the  tomb 
of  Abel  genuine,  decided  after  closely  inspecting  the 
relic  that  it  was  undoubtedly  the  hoof  of  Baalam's  talk- 
ing donkey.  I  prize  it  very  highly  and  will  take  pleas- 
ure in  showing  it  to  any  of  my  readers  who  may  wish 
to  see  it. 

Further  on  our  little  trail  bends  around  the  hill  to 
the  right.  The  mountain  scenery  here  is  really  grand. 
All  around  us  are  the  grand  old  Anti-Lebanon  moun- 
tains over  which  we  are  now  passing  to  reach  the  plain 
between  these  and  the  Lebanon  range. 

Our  route  now  gradually  descends  into  a  lovely  plain 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  609 

called  Zebedani.  This  plain  looks  as  though  it  might 
at  some  period  have  been  a  lake.  It  runs  north  and 
south  and  is  about  three  miles  in  width.  It  is  beauti- 
fully planted  and  cultivated  and  is  well  watered. 

The  whole  valley  is  dotted  over  with  splendid  orchards 
enclosed  by  green  hedges  and  covered  with  apple, 
apricot,  walnut  and  poplar  trees,  the  interspaces  being 
sown  in  small  grain.  Traversing  this  luxuriant  plain 
we  reach  in  a  couple  of  hours  the  village  of  Zebedani, 
situated  in  the  midst  of  exuberant  vegetation.  This 
village  has  a  population  of  three  thousand,  half  of  them 
being  professed  Christians.  These  people  live  on  the 
products  of  their  orchards  and  gardens,  the  plain  being 
celebrated  for  its  growth  of  superior  apples  and  grapes. 
A  few  miles  beyond  this  valley  we  cross  the  watershed 
and  descend  into  another  small  valley  and  pass  the 
village  Surghaya,  where  they  have  a  fine  large  spring. 

Two  miles  further  on  we  reach  the  Yafufeh,  where 
we  find  our  tents  and  tea  awaiting  us.  During  the 
night  an  effort  was  made  by  some  of  the  villagers  to 
rob  the  inmates  of  one  of  our  tents,  but  an  alarm  was 
given  and  the  thieves  ran  off  before  getting  anything 
of  value. 

The  route  from  Yafufeh  to  Baalbec,  a  distance  of 
twenty  miles,  runs  over  mountains  and  across  small 
valleys  and  brooks,  now  and  then  passing  a  village. 
The  scenery  was  magnificent  and  made  pleasant  and 
interesting  what  otherwise  would  have  been  a 
fatiguing  ride. 

HAALBEC. 

This  little  town  or  village  is  three  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  forty  feet  above  sea  level,  and  lies  on  the 
east  side  of  the  valley  of  the  Litany  river,  which  rises  a 


610  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

few  miles  above  here  and  makes  its  way  into  the  Medit- 
erranean just  above  Tyre. 

Like  all  the  rivers  of  this  mountainous  country,  it  is 
a  small  mountain  stream.  Baal  bee  is  situated  between 
the  waters  of  this  river  and  the  Orontes.  The  acropo- 
lis of  the  place  rises  to  the  west  of  the  town  and  runs 
from  west  to  east,  surrounded  by  fertile  gardens.  On  the 
acropolis  stood  at  one  time  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
imposing  temples  ever  erected  in  old  Phoenicia  or  in  all 
Syria.  Greek  and  Roman  authorities  write  of  this 
place  as  Heliopolis,  but  there  is  no  written  records  of 
the  place  earlier  than  the  third  or  fourth  century  of 
our  era.  This  Greek  name,  fleliopolis,  meaning  "  city 
of  the  sun, "  suggests  that  it  was  connected  with  the 
worship  of  the  sun,  and  Baal  was  nearly  identical  with 
the  god  of  that  luminary,  Baal  in  Syriac  meaning  sun. 

There  is  a  statement  dating  from  the  7th  century 
that  Antoninus  Pius,  a  Roman  emperor  in  the  2d 
century,  erected  a  large  temple  to  Jupiter  at  Heliopolis 
in  Phoenicia,  which  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  won- 
ders of  the  age.  From  the  inscriptions  found  upon  the 
temple  it  would  appear  that  the  large  temple  was  dedi- 
cated to  all  the  gods  of  Heliopolis,  and  the  smaller  one 
(for  there  are  two  distinct  temples)  was  dedicated  to 
Baal,  or  the  sun.  It  has  been  thought  by  men  who 
are  competent  to  determine  the  question  from  the 
style  of  work  that  both  temples  were  erected  about  the 
same  period. 

Besides  Baal,  Yenus  was  also  specially  revered  at 
this  place.  But  the  worship  of  these  deities  was  said 
to  have  been  suppressed  by  Constantine,  who  it  is 
claimed  erected  a  church  here. 

I  don't  think,  however,  that  this  old  hypocritical 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND  611 

murderer  erected  all  the  churches  it  is  claimed  he  did. 
He  was  no  saint. 

Baalbec  at  the  time  of  the  Mohammedan  conquest 
of  Syria  was  one  of  its  proudest  ancient  cities.  It  was 
the  capitol  of  all  that  portion  of  Syria  lying  between 
the  Lebanon  and  Anti-Lebanon  mountains. 

When  the  Mohammedan  army  under  the  command 
of  Abu  Obeida  was  marching  against  Baalbec,  Damas- 
cus having  been  taken  prior  to  this  by  treachery,  after 
a  close  siege  of  two  months  Abu  Obeida  intercepted 
a  caravan  of  four  hundred  camels  laden  with  silk  and 
sugars  on  their  way  to  this  city. 

Obeida,  unlike  Khalid  (who  superceded  him  soon 
after  as  commander  of  the  Moslem  army),  allowed  the 
captives  to  ransom  themselves.  Some  of  these  hastened 
on  to  Baalbec  and  informed  the  governor  Herbis  of 
their  approach.  Herbis,  thinking  it  a  marauding  party, 
sallied  forth  with  six  thousand  cavalry  and  a  multitude 
of  irregular  infantry  to  meet  them,  with  the  expectation 
of  recapturing  the  spoils.  He  found  to  his  cost,  how- 
ever, that  he  had  to  contend  with  a  large,  well-disci- 
plined army.  "The  governor  was  soon  driven  back 
within  the  city  walls  with  heavy  loss,  after  receiving 
seven  wounds  in  his  own  person."  The  Arabs  then 
invested  the  city  and  daily  fights  occurred,  until  on  one 
occasion  Herbis  and  part  of  his  army  were  cut  off  from 
the  city  and  had  to  take  refuge  in  an  old  monastery 
which  stood  somewhere  not  very  far  from  where  we 
are  now  camped.  Perhaps  upon  this  hill  to  our  right. 

"  The  governor,  feeling  humiliated  at  another  defeat, 
and  knowing  that  he  could  not  defend  himself  with  the 
fragment  of  the  army  he  had  with  him,  threw  off  his 
silken  robes,  and,  putting  on  a  well-worn  woollen  robe, 


612  TEAVEL8   IN    EGYPT 

sought  a  conference  with  the  Arab  general,  and  made  a 
surrender  of  the  city  upon  the  terms  demanded  by  Abu 
Obeida,  "  which  were  that  he  pay  two  thousand  ounces 
of  each  gold  and  silver,  and  two  thousand  silken  robes, 
one  thousand  sabres,  and  all  the  arms  of  the  soldiers  in 
the  monastery,  as  well  as  engage  in  behalf  of  the  city  to 
pay  an  annual  tribute,  and  engage  to  erect  no  more 
Christian  churches,  nor  ever  act  in  hostility  against  the 
Moslem  power."  I  insert  the  above  for  two  reasons- 
First,  because  this  battle  was  fought  over  the  ground 
where  our  peaceful  tents  are  now  pitched,  and  secondly, 
that  the  reader  may  form  some  idea  of  the  demands 
made  4>y  the  conquerors  of  the  conquered  in  this 
professedly  religious  war  conducted  by  the  Moham- 
medans. 

The  great  court  of  this  temple,  i.  e.,  the  large  temple, 
is  one  hundred  and  forty-seven  yards  from  east  to  west 
and  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  wide.  At  the  east 
end  of  this  immense  court,  separated  from  it  by  a  parti- 
tion wall  with  a  large  portal  opening  into  it  from  one 
to  the  other,  is  a  beautiful  hexagonal  porch  sixty-five 
yards  long,  and  from  angle  to  angle  eighty-five  yards 
in  diameter.  At  the  west  end  of  the  large  court  was 
an  extended  portico  surrounded  by  columns  sixty  feet 
in  height  with  Corinthian  capitols.  Six  of  these  are 
still  standing.  This  portico,  as  I  call  it,  or  western 
extension  of  the  temple,  had  nineteen  of  these  immense 
columns  on  each  side  and  ten  at  each  end. 

The  temple  of  the  sun,  the  smaller  of  the  two. 
stands  on  a  basement  of  its  own,  lower  and  uncon- 
nected with  the  larger  temple.  This  temple  is  said  to 
be  one  of  the  best  preserved  as  well  as  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  antiquities  in  Syria.  The  rectangular  center 


AND   THK    HOLY    LAND.  613 

edifice  is  surrounded  by  columns,  fifteen  on  each  side 
and  ten  at  the  ends.  These  columns,  including  the 
capitols,  are  forty-six  and  one-half  feet  in  height,  on 
the  top  of  which  is  a  handsome  double  frieze. 

The  peristyle,  or  porch,  as  1  call  it,  around  this  tem- 
ple of  the  sun  is  ceiied  overhead  with  large  slabs  of 
stone  beautifully  and  delicately  engraved,  looking  more 
like  lace  than  stone-work. 

Tradition  affirms  that  this  large  temple  was  erected 
by  King  Solomon  to  please  one  of  his  wives,  who  was 
a  native  of  Sidon  and  a  worshiper  of  the  sun.  I 
think  it  very  probable,  for  we  read  that  these  idola- 
trous wives  of  Solomon  turned  away  his  heart  from 
Jehovah,  and  we  find  him  building  temples  and  altars 
to  Ashtoreth,  the  goddess  of  the  Sidonians ;  and  Mil- 
corn,  the  abomination  of  the  Amorites  ;  and  a  place  to 
Chemosh,  the  abomination  of  Moab ;  and  for  Molech, 
or  Baal,  the  abomination  of  the  children  of  Ammon ; 
"and  likewise  did  he  for  all  his  strange  wives,  which 
burnt  incense  and  sacrificed  unto  their  gods. " 

I  can't  see  what  better  heathen  anyone  could  ask  for 
than  this  once  great  man.  But  like  his  father  David, 
the  seductive  charms  of  women  wrought  his  moral 
downfall.  The  absence  of  written  records  of  the  exist- 
ence of  the  city  of  Baalbec  prior  to  the  third  or  fourth 
century  proves  nothing  antagonistic  to  this  tradition. 

Many  of  these  old  pagan  temples  stand  all  alone 
among  these  mountains,  never  having  had  a  city  near 
them.  The  ruins  of  such  temples  may  be  found  at 
various  places  in  the  mountains  of  Lebanon. 

The  immense  blocks  of  stone  of  which  this  temple 
was  constructed  remain  to  this  day  objects  of  curiosity 


614  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

as  well  as  of  admiration  to  travelers  and  a  perplexity 
to  engineers. 

In  the  west  wall  some  nineteen  or  twenty  feet  from 
the  ground  are  three  large  stones  which  we  measured. 
One  of  these  is  sixty-three  feet  long,  one  sixty-four, 
and  the  other  sixty-two  feet  long,  each  of  them  thir- 
teen feet  square.  The  quarry  from  which  the  stones 
were  obtained  is  about  a  mile  distant  from  the  location 
of  the  temple.  In  the  quarry  lies  a  larger  stone 
than  those  in  the  wall  of  the  temple.  It  is  shaped  but 
not  entirely  cut  loose  from  the  rock  beneath  it.  I 
measured  this  stone  also  with  a  three-foot  rule.  I 
found  it  sixteen  feet  square  and  eighty-one  feet  long, 
weighing  over  seventeen  hundred  tons,  or  three  million 
four  hundred  thousand  pounds. 

How  such  blocks  of  stone  as  this  or  such  as  are 
above  described  in  the  wall  were  transported  and  placed 
in  position  in  the  walls  in  ancient  times,  I  presume 
will  ever  remain  a  mystery.  The  lower  stones  of  the 
temple  are  gray  and  the  larga  blocks  yellowish  in 
color.  It  was  doubtless  from  these  three  large  stones 
in  the  west  wall  that  the  temple  derived  its  name  of 
Trilithon,  three  stones. 

Our  company  reached  this  ancient  Syrian  town  on 
Saturday  a  little  after  noon.  And  as  it  was  our  rule 
to  lie  over  on  the  Sabbath,  I  had  the  opportunity  of 
seeing  a  dervish  sheik  perform  miracles  and  then 
seeing  his  two  hundred  or  more  followers  go  through 
their  ritual  of  religious  service  on  Sabbath  morning. 

Sunday  morning,  seeing  large  crowds  of  the 
villagers  going  up  the  mountain  .  just  south  of  our 
camp,  I  asked  my  man  Ishmael  what  they  were 
congregating  on  the  mountain  for  ?  He  answered 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  615 

that  Ramadan  ended  the  evening  before,  and  they 
were  going  up  there  to  put  in  a  day  of  rejoicing,  and 
added :  "  It  will  interest  you,  Doctor,  to  walk  up 
there  and  see  them."  I  started  at  once,  but  it  was 
much  farther  and  a  far  more  fatiguing  walk  than  I 
had  thought.  But  by  sitting  down  and  resting  occa- 
sionally 1  finally  reached  the  summit,  where  I  found 
some  seven  or  eight  hundred  Arabs  already  assembled. 

Just  over  the  summit  of  the  mountain  was  a  level 
plateau  or  bench  comprising  some  two  or  three  acres 
of  land.  On  this  the  crowd  had  assembled  and  gath- 
ered around  the  dervishes,  who  seemed  to  be  the  cen- 
tral object  of  attraction. 

When  I  reached  the  ground  some  fifty  or  more  of 
the  older  men  were  seated  in  a  circle  on  mats  spread 
upon  the  ground.  About  half  of  them  were  armed 
with  tambourines  and  castinets,  or  small  timbrels. 
Such  of  them  as  had  no  musical  instruments  were 
chanting  verses  of  the  Koran  and  the  others  beating 
time,  one  or  perhaps  two  or  more  keeping  time  and 
adding  variety  to  the  instrumental  part  of  the  enter- 
tainment by  striking  two  hardwood  sticks  together. 

This  was  begun  in  a  slow,  monotonous  way,  but  grew 
more  rapid  and  louder,  and  yet  louder,  as  time  passed, 
until  finally  it  reached  a  pitch  of  seeming  frenzy  and 
desperation.  The  sheik  of  the  tribe  or  band,  with  a  few 
old  men,  was  standing  in  the  middle  of  the  group  keep- 
ing time  and  leading  the  chanters.  Within  the  circle 
formed  by  the  musicians,  with  the  crowd  standing 
around  at  their  backs,  with  the  sheik  and  old  men,  was 
a  snake  charmer  with  a  large  serpent  entwined  about 
his  neck.  After  this  part  of  the  service  was  over  the 
rugs,  mats,  etc.,  together  with  the  musical  instruments, 


616  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

were  piled  up  to  one  side.  A  ring  was  then  formed  by 
the  clan  standing  around  all  facing  the  sheik,  who 
stood  in  the  center  with  an  old  rusty  sword  in  his 
hand. 

One  old,  hard-looking  customer  stepped  out  in  the 
ring  and  drew  off  his  shirt  and  allowed  the  sheik,  who 
was  a  tall,  spare  made  man,  straight  as  an  arrow,  and 
seemingly  a  very  nervous  man,  to  hack  on  his  old 
India  rubber  abdomen  with  the  edge  of  the  old  rusty 
sword.  I  watched  this  proceeding  with  more  than 
ordinary  interest.  My  reasons  therefore  will  be  given 
later  on.  The  sheik  made  long  sweeping  strokes  with 
the  sword,  but  he  was  careful  not  to  use  much  force. 
The  old  brother's  abdomen  being  covered  by  nature 
with  rawhide,  flapped  in  and  out  at  every  stroke  like  a 
rubber  bag.  The  sheik's  ability  to  strike  such  blows 
with  naked  sword,  and  not  inflict  flesh  wounds,  was 
taken  by  the  true  believers  as  a  proof  of  his  being  pos- 
sessed of  supernatural  powers,  or  the  power  of  per- 
forming miracles,  this  being  regarded  as  one. 

The  next  thing  on  the  programme  of  miracles  was 
that  of  thrusting  a  dagger  through  the  cheek  of  several 
of  his  followers.  These  savage,  ignorant-looking  fel- 
lows with  dark  skins,  low  foreheads  and  countenances, 
from  which  one  would  naturally  shrink,  stepped  into 
the  ring.  The  sheik  thcust  the  thumb  of  his  left  hand 
into  one  corner  or  angle  of  the  man's  mouth,  holding 
the  cheek  between  the  thumb  and  the  forefinger;  then 
with  the  right  hand  he  passed  a  dagger  into  the  mouth, 
piercing  the  wall  of  the  cheek  and  pushing  it  well 
through.  The  dagger  was  about  twelve  inches  in  length, 
having  a  wooden  ball  one  and  one-half  or  two  inches 
in  diameter  on  one  end  for  a  handle,  the  blade  being 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  617 

shaped  like  a  sword  cane  with  very  dull  edges.  This 
spear  was  thrust  through  the  cheek  obliquely,  leaving 
about  one-half  of  the  length  of  the  instrument  project- 
ing from  the  mouth,  the  other  half  projecting  from  the 
outer  side  of  the  cheek.  The  fanatical  devotee  would 
then  take  hold  of  each  end  of  the  dagger  and  with  a 
kind  of  waltzing  swinging  step  dance  around  the  ring 
swaying  his  body  backward  and  forward  for  half  an 
hour  or  longer,  then  waltzing  up  in  front  of  the  sheik 
who  withdrew  the  spear  and  closed  the  wound  by  press- 
ing it  firmly  between  the  thumb  and  forefinger  so  as 
to  prevent  its  bleeding. 

The  instrument  was  too  dull  to  cut  the  blood  vessels, 
consequently  there  was  no  hemorrhage.  But  this  con- 
stituted the  miraculous  part  of  the  performance.  This 
torture,  for  I  can  call  it  nothing  more  nor  less,  was  sub- 
mitted to  by  several  of  the  young  men  of  the  clan  and 
may  be,  for  ought  I  know,  their  mode  of  initiation  into 
the  order  of  dervishes.  Perhaps,  the  author  of  "  Light 
from  the  East "  can  inform  us  on  this  point. 

The  next  miracle  performed  by  this  impostor — was 
he  an  impostor?  Yes,  I  verily  believe  he  was,  in  so  far  as 
pretending  to  be  performing  miracles,  for  he  well  knew 
he  was  deceiving  his  followers — but  he  had  as  much 
right  to  do  so  as  the  Catholic  priests  have.  The  next 
miracle  was  to  have  one  of  his  disciples  strip  to  the  waist 
and  lie  on  his  back  on  the  ground.  Two  of  his  accom- 
plices, the  aforesaid  old  men,  then  took  one  of  these 
short  spears  in  each  hand  and  pretended  to  hold  the 
points  of  them  on  the  nude  body  of  the  recumbent 
victim.  The  sheik,  now  resting  a  hand  on  each  of  the 
bended  bodies  of  his  accomplices,  walked  over  the 
recumbent  man  by  stepping  from  one  to  another  of 


618  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

the  balls  on  the  upper  end  of  the  spears.  The  body 
not  being  pierced  by  the  spears  constituted  the  miracle. 
Another  middle-aged  man,  stripped  to  the  waist,  pre- 
sented himself  to  the  sheik,  who  pinched  up  the  loose 
skin  on  his  side  and  pushed  the  spears  through  it,  making 
the  point  of  entrance  some  two  and  a-half  or  three 
inches  from  the  point  of  exit.  The  victim  then  took 
hold  of  the  balls,  one  in  each  hand,  and  waltzed  around 
the  circle  swaying  his  body  backwards  and  forward  as 
the  other  had  done  with  the  spear  through  the  cheek. 
When  the  spears  were  withdrawn  the  sheik  made  pres 
sure  on  the  wounds  to  prevent  hemorrhage  as  in  the 
other  instances,  the  absence  of  hemorrhage  constitut- 
ing the  miracle. 

The  circle  of  dervishes  was  then  enlarged,  forming  a 
large  circle  around  the  sheik,  and  the  two  or  three  old 
men.  Thev  began  to  bow  their  heads  and  bend  their 

•/  o 

bodies  forward,  bending  low,  then  by  a  rapid  motion 
straightening  up  and  then  down  again.  At  each  going 
down  and  coming  up  every  fellow  would  cry,  "  Allah ! 
Allah ! "  This  swaying  of  the  body  and  the  cry  of 
Allah  was  kept  up  until  several  of  them  fell  from  sheer 
exhaustion. 

This  ended,  a  cross  way  was  formed  by  men  lying  on 
their  backs,  side  by  side,  on  the  ground  for  a  distance 
of  twelve  or  sixteen  feet.  The  sheik,  after  having 
whispered  for  some  considerable  time  in  his  horse's 
ear,  mounted  him  and  rode  over  their  prostrated 
bodies.  The  whole  company  then  dispersed,  the  sheik 
and  his  clan  going  to  their  mosques  down  in  the  vil- 
lage. 

Now  these  are  the  people  from  whom  it  is  claimed 
comes  "  a  Flood  of  Light,"  The  "  Pilgrim  Knight "  or 


AND   THE   HOLY   LANR  619 

"  Palm  and  Shell,"  "  Light  from  the  East."  In  one  of 
the  letters  in  this  book  of  "  Light  from  the  East "  the 
author  says :  "  It  is  known  that  the  society  of 
dervishes  in  this  country  is  closely  allied  to  ancient 
Free  Masonry."  And  yet  this  author  says  these 
Mohammedan  fanatics,  like  the  prophets  of  Baal, 
"cut  themselves  with  knives,  charm  and  eat  snakes, 
swallow  burning  coals,  eat  glass,"  and  practice  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent  the  tricks  in  trade  of  the  India 
jugglers.  I  have  been  accustomed  to  the  use  of  the 
microscope,  but  I  was  not  able  to  detect,  even  with 
the  wonderful  magnifying  powers  of  that  instrument, 
a  germ  of  Free  Masonry  or  anything  akin  to  it  among 
the  three  orders  of  dervishes  which  I  visited.  I  would 
as  soon  expect  Mr.  Stanley  to  find  societies  closely 
allied  to  Free  Masonry  among  the  Africans  on  the 
Congo.  I  regard  it  as  a  slander  on  one  of  the 
grandest  institutions  among  men. 

I  am  at  a  loss  to  comprehend  the  object  of  the 
writer  in  bringing  forward  the  order  of  dervishes  to 
establish  the  antiquity  of  Masonry,  which  he  does,  if 
I  understand  him  aright,  when  it  is  well  known  that 
the  various  orders  of  dervishes  are  all  Mohammedans, 
and  that  Mohammed  himself  was  born  some  time 
between  the  years  569  and  571  of  the  Christian  era. 
I  think  this  cunningly  devised  scheme  shows  its  cloven 
foot  in  visiting  Masonic  lodges,  and  by  imposing  and 
conferring  this  "  Palm  and  Shell "  as  a  degree  akin  to 
Masonry,  and  for  which  hundreds  and  perhaps  thou- 
sands of  dollars  have  been  paid  by  the  Masons  of  the 
United  States,  not  as  a  Masonic  degree,  I  confess,  but 
if  not  as  an  adjunct  or  addendum  to  Masonry,  why 
was  it  conferred  in  lodges  and  only  on  Masons  ?  That 


620  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

it  is  regarded  as  a  pledge  of  friendship  by  these 
people,  and  also  as  a  pledge  of  immunity  from  molesta- 
tion by  the  Bedouin  tribes,  I  also  admit.  Just  as  we 
used  to  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace  with  the  Indians. 
But  in  this  widely  circulated  and  popular  Masonic 
work  this  u  Palm  and  Shell "  is  represented  as  a  token 
in  a  society  "  assimilating  Masonry."  Webster  defines 
assimilating  "causing  to  resemble,  converting  into  a 
like  substance." 

Now  if  there  is  nothing  in  the  symbolic  ritualism  of 
Masonry  more  than  a  pledge  of  friendship,  if  there  is 
no  embodiment  of  principles  in  our  sublime  degrees, 
if  they  be  empty  shells,  shadows  without  substance, 
merely  pledges  of  friendship,  if  this  be  all  there  is  in 
Masonry,  then  I  have  studied  Masonry  to  no  avail.  If 
my  Masonic  brother  who  visited  the  lodges  of  Texas 
and  delivered  Masonic  lectures  was  not  inducing  the 
brotherhood  to  believe  that  he  was  bringing  additional 
light  from  the  East,  why,  I  ask,  was  the  dervish  pledge 
conferred  only  on  Masons  ?  If  it  had  no  association  or 
connection  whatever  with  Masonry  (and  it  has  none 
whatever,  as  my  Masonic  brother  very  well  knew),  why 
did  he  visit  lodges  only,  and  why  did  he  extend  to 
Masons  only  the  privilege  of  buying  from  him  for  the 
sum  of  five  dollars  each,  a  dervish  or  Bedouin  pledge  of 
friendship  that  could  in  no  possible  way  ever  be  of  any 
practical  use  or  benefit  to  them  in  this  country. 

I  wouldn't  trust  an  Arab  Bedouin  or  dervish  sheik  no 
farther  than  I  would  a  mule,  no  matter  how  much 
"salt"  I  had  eaten  with  him.  I  think  my  Masonic 
brother  by  the  manner  in  which  he  used  this  dervish 
pledge  among  his  Masonic  brethren  put  his  Masonic 
obligations  woefully  on  the  stretch,  to  say  the  least  of 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  621 

it.  He  made  money  out  of  it,  but  was  it  not "  wrong- 
fully "made? 

After  reading  the  foregoing  account  of  the  ignorance 
and  superstition  of  this  order  of  Mohammedans,  to  say 
nothing  of  the- humbuggery  and  imposition  practiced 
by  their  sheiks,  I  leave  Masons  to  judge  of  this  mat- 
ter for  themselves  and  to  form  their  own  opinion  as  to 
the  value  of  their  "  Palm  and  Shell"  degree,  and  how 
much  Masonry  there  is  in  it. 

Masonry  is  one  of  the  grandest  moral  and  charitable 
institutions  known  among  men,  and  he  who  lowers  its 
standard  of  merit  or  acts  unworthily  should  be  excluded 
from  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the  order  and  deemed 
unworthy  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  brother- 
hood. I  confess  I  dislike  to  see  Masons  using  the 
order  and  the  sacred  emblems  by  which  its  great  moral 
lessons  are  taught  to  promote  their  business  trans- 
actions and  enhance  their  individual  gain.  It  is  not 
nor  should  it  be  a  money-making  institution,  but  its 
charity  should  be  as  universal  and  unbounded  as  its 
principles. 

After  leaving  Baalbec  we  travel  for  miles  in  the 
great  plain  which  lies  between  the  Lebanon  and  Anti- 
Lebanon  mountains.  A  large  portion  of  this  valley  is 
in  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation,  the  mulberry  tree 
being  grown  extensively  through  the  valley;  silk  and 
tobacco  culture  being  perhaps  the  most  valuable  enter- 
prises engaged  in  by  the  inhabitants  of  this  Lebanon 
province. 

Our  lunch  tent  was  pitched  near  a  pretty  village 
inhabited  by  Christians.  The  village  is  located  around 
the  head  of  a  short  but  deep  gorge  which  extends  up 
between  the  mountains.  We  are  now  traveling  the 


622  TftAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

turnpike  road  made  by  a  French  company  to  run  daily 
diligences  from  Beyrout  to  Damascus.  Here  a  large 
mountain  stream  crosses  the  road.  We  find  quite  a 
respectable  mill  built  on  the  roadside  and  run  by  the 
water-power  of  the  stream. 

Soon  after  lunch  our  company,  by  invitation,  rode  to 
the  village  above  referred  to  and  spent  a  couple  of 
hours  very  pleasantly  at  the  house  of  our  principal 
muleteer,  Abu  Abraham,  i.  e.,  father  of  Abraham. 

We  found  his  home  very  conveniently  and  pleasantly 
arranged.  The  family  seemed  to  be  very  proud  of 
having  the  privilege  of  entertaining  the  "  Americans. " 
Refreshments  of  different  kinds,  in  the  way  of  candies 
and  cordials,  and  (sha)  tea  and  other  nicknacks  were 
served  at  short  intervals.  The  people  of  the  village 
flocked  in  to  see  us  until  the  house  and  yard  were 
crowded.  Our  dress,  manners  and  general  appearance 
being  so  different  from  theirs,  we  were  to  many  of 
them  a  new  and  strange  people.  But  time  admon- 
ishes us  to  be  up  and  going. 

Our  ride  this  afternoon  is  short,  however,  as  our 
tent  is  being  erected  only  a  few  miles  from  this  pretty 
little  city,  perched  on  the  sides  of  the  moun- 
tains sweeping  around  the  gorge  at  an  elevation  of 
over  three  thousand  feet  above  sea  level.  It  is  called 
Zahleth,  a  city  containing  ten  or  fifteen  thousand  of 
these  semi-civilized  Syrians.  They  are  members  of  the 
church  of  England,  ie.,  Episcopalians,  no  Mohamme- 
dans among  them. 

The  families  of  most  of  our  muleteers  and  other 
attendants  are  living  here  in  quietude  and  peace. 

This  day  completes  our  stay  in  the  Holy  Land  and 
Syria.  We  now  go  to  Asia  Minor.  We  went  into  camp 


AND   THE   HOLT    LAND.  623 

last  evening  with  a  sense  of  gratitude  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  our  lives  and  our  health  during  our  wanderings 
in  the  Holy  Land  ana  Syria.  "We  have  done  much 
hard  work,  and  have  passed  through  many  dangers. 
We  have  gone  over  rough,  rugged  and  dangerous  roads, 
but  God  has  blessed  us,  and  cared  for  us,  and  brought 
us  unharmed  through  it  all.  We  are  tired,  and  travel 
worn,  and  rejoice  that  this  is  our  last  day  in  the  saddle. 
We  expect  to  reach  Beyrout  to-night,  where  we  will  take 
the  water  route  to  old  Smyrna  via  Tripoli. 

The  wives,  sons  and  daughters  of  our  muleteers  came 
to  our  camping-ground  last  night  and  gave  us  a  concert 
and  an  exhibition  of  their  social  amusements.  They 
had  music  and  dancing  and  plays.  One  lady  danced 
for  thirty  or  forty  minutes  with  a  five-gallon  earthen- 
ware jar  of  water  filled  to  the  brim  balanced  on  her 
head.  The  feat  was  a  difficult  one,  but  was  accom- 
plished admirably,  as  she  neither  touched  the  jar  with 
her  hands  nor  spilt  as  much  as  a  tea-spoonful  of  water. 
They  seem  to  be  a  happy  people.  "  Having  food  and 
raiment,  they  are  therewith  content."  IB  not  this  true 
wisdom  ?  "  What  will  it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the 
whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  Or  what  will  a  man 
give  in  exchange  for  his  soul?"  Thousands  of  our 
fellow-men  are  saying  by  their  lives,  we  exchange  it 
for  wealth,  for  honors,  for  the  applause  of  our  fellow- 
men  ;  for  the  pomp,  glitter  and  parade  of  fashionable 
life  ;  for  covetousness,  for  greed,  for  self-indulgence,  for 
licentiousness,  for  unbelief  in  Him  upon  Whom  to  believe 
is  life  everlasting.  "  He  that  hath  the  Son  hath  life." 

It  was  a  hard  day's  ride  that  brought  us  to  Beyrout. 
We  were  four  hours  in  reaching  the  summit  of  the 
Lebanon  mountains.  All  that  four  hours  we  were 


624:  TRAVELS  IN  EGYPT 

going1  up',  up,  and  then  for  another  four  or  five  hours 
it  was  down,  down.  From  the  summit  of  this  range  of 
mountains  is  a  beautiful  view.  East  of  us  in  our  rear 
lay  spread  out  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Litany,  with 
its  numerous  green  fields,  orchards  and  vineyards. 
Beyond,  this  rises  the  Anti-Lebanon  mountains,  their 
summits  covered  with  snow,  the  majestic  Hermon  over- 
looking them  all.  Before  us  is  the  blue  waters  of  the 
Mediterranean ;  the  white  walls  of  the  city  of  Bey  rout 
glittering  in  the  bright  rays  of  the  evening  sun,  seated 
upon  the  seashore  seemingly  but  at  our  feet,  as  it  were, 
yet  wearied  and  aching  will  be  our  limbs  before  we 
reach  that  far-away  city. 

Beyrout,  the  most  important  seaport  town  of  Syria, 
is  located  on  the  coast  of  the  Mediterranean  about  sixty 
miles  on  a  direct  line  west  of  northwest  of  Damascus. 
The  large  bay  north  of  the  city  affords  the  best  anchor- 
age on  the  Syrian  coast.  This  was  one  of  the  places 
which  was  mentioned  as  having  been  occupied  by  the 
Caananitish  Giblites  or  dwellers  on  mountains  in  the 
land  of  the  Phoenicians.  They  worshiped  different  gods 
from  the  Phoenicians.  This  place  seems  originally  to  have 
been  unimportant.  We  learn  that  it  was  entirely  de- 
stroyed in  the  second  century  B.  C.,  during  the  reign  of 
Antiochus  VII.  inconsequence  of  a  rebellion.  It  was  after- 
wards rebuilt  by  the  Romans.  Herod  Agrippa  embel- 
lished it  with  baths,  theatres,  etc.,  to  please  the  Romans. 
Gladiatorial  combats  were  fought  here,  in  which  the 
Jews  captured  by  Titus  at  Jerusalem  were  compelled 
to  engage.  During  the  Roman  occupation  of  Beyrout 
it  and  Tyre  furnished  Rome  her  silk  fabrics.  It  is  not 
known  when  Syria  first  began  the  growth  of  the  mul- 


AND  THE   HOLY   LAND.  625 

berry  and  the  culture  of  silk,  it  was  known  in  the  middle 
ages  to  be  of  long  standing. 

In  529  Bey  rout  was  destroyed  by  an  earthquake,  after 
which  we  learn  that  it  was  never  rebuilt  with  the -same 
magnificence  as  before.  In  635,  when  the  Moham- 
medan army  was  in  Syria,  it  was  captured  by  them.  In 
1125  it  was  taken  by  the  Crusaders  under  Baldwin. 
This  city,  as  you  see,  like  all  other  important  cities  in 
this  oriental  country,  has  had  literally  its  ups  and 
downs.  For  about  thirty  years  it  was  the  residence  of 
a  Druse  prince,  who,  abusing  the  confidence  of  the 
Turkish  government,  succeeded  in  founding  a  kingdom 
for  himself.  Having  banished  the  Arabs,  he  formed  an 
alliance  with  the  Venetians,  who,  it  seems,  were  the 
natural  enemies  of  the  Turks. 

The  Turks,  however,  finally  succeeded  in  overthrow- 
ing his  kingdom,  putting  the  Prince,  or  Emir,  to  death, 
and  banishing  his  family.  After  this  the  Turks  gradually 
withdrew  power  from  the  princes,  which  proved  to  be 
a  salutary  policy.  Abdallah  Pasha  afterward  took 
Beyrout  from  the  Druses,  and  under  a  change  of  rulers 
it  became  an  important  seaport  town. 

It  has  now  a  population  of  one  hundred  and  ten 
thousand.  Its  population  has  greatly  increased  within 
the  last  few  years,  however.  A  very  large  majority  of 
its  inhabitants  are  Moslems. 

In  connection  with  this  brief  and  imperfect  history 
of  Beyrout,  let  me  say  that  the  old  town  is  uninterest- 
ing and  contains  very  few  antiquities.  The  plain  upon 
which  the  city  is  built,  lying  between  the  sea  and 
mountains,  is  small.  The  city  in  consequence  has  been 
built  around  the  south  side  of  the  bay.  The  climate  is 
pleasant,  and  it  ought  under  proper  hygienic  regula- 


626  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

tions  to  be  a  healthy  city.  They  now  have  a  new  set 
of  waterworks  and  the  city  is  lighted  with  gas. 

"The  walls  which  once  surrounded  the  old  town, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  remains  on  the  east,  have 
fallen  down  and  gone  to  ruin,  and  suburban  cottages 
with  beautiful  gardens  and  orchards  have  lately  sprung 
up  and  are  annually  extending."  "BejTout  is  fast 
becoming  a  modern  city,  not,  however,  by  modernizing 
the  Moslem  element  of  society,  but  by  emigration  from 
the  European  states.  It,  being  the  great  seaport  of  all 
that  oriental  country  lying  east  of  it,  has  assumed  a 
commercial  importance  which  it  never  had  before." 

That  portion  of  the  city  occupied  by  the  Moslems, 
as  elsewhere,  is  characterized  by  narrow,  filthy  streets, 
small  workshops,  absence  of  sidewalks,  the  usual  ~uota 
of  curs,  children,  old  hags,  donkeys,  etc. 

Taken  as  a  whole,  however,  Beyrout  is  quite  ahead 
of  many  other  Eastern  cities  in  modern  improvements. 

Wednesday,  May  13,  I  find  myself  on  board  a  Rus- 
sian steamer  bearing  the  autocratic  name  "Czar," 
bound  for  Constantinople  by  way  of  Tripoli  and  old 
Smyrna. 

We  weighed  anchor  about  noon  yesterday,  and  I  find 
our  vessel  this  morning  anchored  off  the  shore  of  the 
Syrian  province  Liwa,  just  opposite  the  city  of  Tripoli. 
This  city,  the  Phoenician  name  of  which  is  unknown, 
was  built  probably  not  earlier  than  seven  hundred 
years  B.  C.,  long  after  Arvadus  was  founded  by  a 
tribe  who  descended  from  Ham,  and  are  called  in  the 
scriptures  Arvadites. 

Suppose,  reader,  we  stop  and  enquire  who  these  peo- 
ple were.  You  know  Ham  was  cursed  by  his  father, 
and  it  is  claimed  that  a  strange  transmutation  took 


AND  THE    HOLY    LAND.  627 

place  in  this  son  of  his  as  a  consequence;  if  not  in  the 
son,  in  one  of  his  descendants.  By  reading  the  geneal- 
ogy *>f  the  family  of  Noah,  we  find  among  the  lists 
of  the  descendants  of  his  son  Ham,  that  Gush  was  the 
father  of  Nimrod,  the  hunter.  Mizraim,  another  of 
Ham's  sons,  was  the  progenitor  of  the  Philistines,  and 
Canaan,  another  son,  the  progenitor  of  the  Jebusites 
and  Amorites,  Hitites,  and  among  others,  a  tribe  who 
occupied  this  section  of  the  country  called  in  the  scrip- 
tures Arvadites.  We  further  learn  that  old  man  Noah 
played  American  and  got  on  a  drunken  spree,  and 
when  he  awoke  from  his  drunken  sleep  pronounced  a 
curse  upon  his  son  Ham,  for  not  treating  him  with 
that  respect  and  deference  due  the  parent  from  the 
child. 

The  old  man  said:  "Cursed  be  Canaan  (Ham's 
descendants),  a  servant  of  servants  shall  he  be  unto  his 
brethren."  And  he  further  said:  "Blessed  ba  the 
Lord  God  of  Shem,  and  Canaan  shall  be  his  servant. 
God  shall-  enlarge  Japheth,  and  he  shall  dwell  in  the 
tents  of  Shem,  and  Canaan  shall  be  his  servant. " 

Now  I  can  see  nothing  in-  this  curse  but  a  life  of  ser- 
vitude, that  the  descendants  of  Ham  (Canaan)  should 
occupy  a  subordinate  position  to  the  descendants  of  his 
brothers,  and  there  is  no  evidence  in  the  scriptures  that 
this  curse  extended  any  further  than  this.  Some 
think,  however,  that  some  of  the  descendants  of  Ham 
were  wholly  transformed  into  another  class  of  beings 
as  different  from  the  other  descendants  of  this  accursed 
man  as  day  is  from  night. 

That  this  wonderful  transmutation  did  not  take 
place  in  Ham  himself  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  the 
Jebusites  from  whom  David  wrested  Jerusalem,  the 


628  TR'AVELS    IN    EGYPT 

Amorites,  Hitites  and  also  the  Arvadites  and  many 
other  tribes  of  the  Canaanites,  were  the  direct  descend- 
ants of  this  man  Ham.  There  is  no  evidence  among 
these  tribes  that  the  great  and  universal  law  of  genera- 
tion, that  is,  "  that  like  begets  like, "  was  altered, 
changed  or  suspended  by  the  curse  pronounced  against 
Ham. 

If  Ham  was  the  progenitor  of  one  or  more  tribes  of 
people  differing  in  their  physical  and  anatomical  make- 
up with  an  entirely  distinct  and  different  cast,  scope 
and  power  of  intellectuality,  differing  in  moral  per- 
ceptions, moral  responsibility,  and  in  every  imaginable 
particular ;  transforming  Ihem  into  a  lower  order  of 
beings  and  implanting  in  them  anew  the  law  of  hered- 
ity which  keeps  them  with  an  unmistakable  individual- 
ity and  a  distinct  species  and  race,  we  have  no 
account  of  it  in  sacred  history. 

Again  we  know  this  law  of  heredity  transmits  the 
physical,  intellectual  and  moral  qualities,  not  only  of 
parent  and  child  and  family,  but  it  also  determines 
and  differentiates  races,  tribes  and  species.  It  was  as 
impossible  under  the  laws  now  governing  this  universe 
for  Ham  and  his  wife  to  have  had  one  child  black  and 
one  white  as  it  is  for  an  oak  tree  to  produce  acorns  on 
one  branch  and  chestnuts  on  another.  It  is  strange 
that  men  will  contend  for  such  things.  Then  they  say 
that  climatic  influence  acting  through  the  unnumbered 
centuries  made  a  black  man  out  of  a  white  one.  This, 
however,  is  a  mere  conjecture,  strange  indeed,  if  true, 
but  most  assuredly  not  true.  God  alone  can  altar  these 
laws,  and  we  have  no  record  of  his  having  done  so  in 
this  instance.  Header,  take  this  for  what  you  think  it 
worth.  I  show  you  who  the  Arvadites  were,  and  they 


AND  THE    HOLY   LAND. 

occupied  the  country  lying  along  this  shore,  and  as  we 
are  so  near  their  country  I  will  tell  you  something 
more  of  this  ancient  people." 

This  tribe,  the  Arvadians,  built  the  town  of  Arvadus 
on  a  small  island  which  lies  just  above  Tripoli.  "  In 
the  Persian  period  Arvadus  is  mentioned  as  the  third 
of  the  towns  in  alliance  with  the  Sidonians." 

Now  this  wonderful  old  historical  book  which  lies  open 
before  me,  I  mean  the  bi  ble,  tells  us  that  in  the  palmy  days 
of  old  Tyre,  whose  navigators  were  masters  of  the  ocean 
for  more  than  twenty  centuries,  these  ship-builders 
and  bold  navigators  were  Arvadians.  It  says  the  wise 
men  of  Tyre  were  her  pilots.  Ezekiel  says :  "  They 
were  skillful  mariners  and  brave  soldiers."  This  peo- 
ple were  remarkable  for  their  commercial  enterprise. 
Their  chief  place  of  business,  however,  was  not  at 
Arvadus,  but  at  Karne,  a  place  about  three  miles  to  the 
north  of  Arvadus.  Some  of  our  company  have  gone 
on  shore,  but  as  the  sea  is  rough,  and  my  stomach 
informs  me  that  I  am  slightly  seasick,  I  conclude  to 
remain  on  board  the  steamer,  and  will  tell  the  reader 
about  this  Syrian  town,  Tripoli. 

A  French  author  gives  the  following  statistics  of  its 
inhabitants.  He  says :  "  There  are  eighteen  hundred 
Moslems,  four  thousand  eight  hundred  orthodox  Greeks, 
twelve  hundred  Marionites,  a  few  Catholics  and  a  few 
Jews  living  here."  It  is  said  to  be  an  unhealthy  place; 
that  the  country  back  of  it  is  extremely  fertile  and 
the  market  abundantly  supplied  with  silk.  In  1872 
four  hundred  and  twelve  tons  of  cocoons  were  exported 
from  here  to  France  and  other  countries.  From  thir- 
teen to  fourteen  tons  are  annually  woven  here  at  this 
city. 


630  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

Tripoli  has  eleven  soap  factories.  I  hope  they  are 
not  like  the  people  of  Nablaus  (Shechem),  who  export 
all  they  manufacture.  The  sponge  fishery  is  exten- 
sively carried  on  here.  The  planters  are  annually 
enlarging  their  acreage  of  tobacco  land,  and  are  begin- 
ing  to  export  oranges  and  potatoes.  I  learn  that  many 
of  their  narrow  streets  are  covered  in  as  at  Damascus 
and  Jerusalem.  The  dancing  dervishes  have  a  mon- 
astery here.  It  may  be  of  interest  to  the  reader  to 
know  that  in  1289,  when  the  place  was  taken  by  one 
of  the  Sultans  of  Turkey,  at  which  time  many  Franks 
perished  and  the  place  was  nearly  destroyed  and  much 
booty  carried  off,  there  were  four  thousand  silk 
weaving  looms  worked  at  this  place  at  that  time. 
This  shows  that  it  has  been  a  great  silk  producing 
country  for  many  centuries.  Laodicea  lies  just  above 
Arvada  on  the  coast. 

I  see  the  sailors  are  weighing  anchor  and  we  are 
about  to  steam  out  of  the  harbor.  Our  route  carries 
us  just  south  of  the  island  of  Cyprus,  after  passing 
which  we  see  no  more  land  until  we  reach  the  island  of 
Rhodes. 

But  isn't  there  something  about  this  island  of  Cyprus 
to  interest  us  ?  Yes,  we  read  that  during  a  time  of 
persecution,  when  Stephen  was  stoned  to  death  at 
Jerusalem,  the  disciples  scattered  abroad  and  some  of 
them  came  here  to  Cyprus,  and  some  went  to  Antioch, 
which  was  still  further  to  the  north  and  east.  Antioch, 
you  remember,  was  located  on  the  Orontes,  some  distance 
from  its  mouth  back  in  the  interior,  at  which  place 
there  were  both  Jews  and  Greeks,  to  whom  the 
apostles  preached,  and  a  great  number,  we  are  told, 
believed. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  631 

We  further  learn  that  Paul  and  Barnabas  and  Sim- 
eon, that  was  called  Niger,  and  Lucius  of  Gyrene,  and  a 
disciple  named  Manaen,  were  all  members  of  the  church 
at  Antioch.  And  the  church  was  instructed  by  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  separate  Paul  and  Barnabas  for  the 
special  work  to  which  the  Lord  had  called  them.  They 
did  so.  Saul  and  Barnabas  then  went  to  S'eleucia, 
which  was  located  on  the  coast  opposite  Antioch,  and 
from  there  they  came  to  this  island,  which  can  now  be 
seen  off  to  our  right. 

You  know  this  was  Barnabas'  country,  i.  e.,  where 
he  lived  before  he  became  a  disciple  of  the  Lord  Jesus; 
his  name  then  was  Joses,  meaning  the  "  son  of  consola- 
tion." Salamis,  where  they  preached  in  the  syna- 
gogues of  the  Jews,  was  located  on  the  east  side  of  the 
island.  They  landed  here  and  went  through  the  length 
of  the  island  to  Paphos,  which  is  located  on  the  eastern 
part  or  end  of  the  island  of  Cyprus.  Here  Paul  met 
Sergius  Paulus,  a  deputy,  a  sensible  man  who  called  for 
Saul  and  Barnabas  and  desired  to  hear  of  them  the 
word  of  God.  But  there  was  there  also  a  certain  fel- 
low named  Bar-jesus,  a  sorcerer  like  those  Pharaoh 
(Meneptah)  had  in  Egypt  when  Moses  went  down  there. 
This  fellow  reminds  me  of  some  of  the  young  men  of 
the  present  age,  who  think  it  smart  to  be  called  "  scep- 
tics "  and  who  are  always  ready  and  anxious  to  tear 
down  what  wiser  people  are  trying  to  build  up.  This 
fellow  withstood  Saul  and  Barnabas  and  sought  to 
turn  away  Paulus  from  the  faith.  Saul  set  his  eyes  on 
him  and  said  :  "  O  full  of  subtlety  and  all  mischief,  tJiou 
child  of  the  devil"  Saul  knew  his  parentage,  you 
see.  "  Thou  enemy  of  all  righteousness,  wilt  thou  not 
cease  to  pervert  the  right  ways  of  the  Lord  ? "  Then 


632  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

Saul  told  him  the  hand  of  the  lord  would  be  upon  him 
and  he  should  be  blind  and  shouldn't  see  the  sun  for  a 
season.  If  he  couldn't  see  the  sun  he  was  totally  blind. 
I  guess  when  this  fellow  received  his  sight  he  was 
cured  of  his  scepticism.  I  think  that  would  have  con- 
vinced, me  that  Saul  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  that  Jesus,  in  whose  name  Paul  did  these  wonder- 
ful things,  was  a  divine  personage. 

After  leaving  Tripoli  we  had  a  rough  but  not  a 
boisterous  sea.  The  next  morning,  however,  it  was 
more  calm.  My  seasickness  of  the  day  before  soon 
passed  off  and  we  are  all  merry.  The  second  day  out 
from  Tripoli,  about  10  A.  M.,  we  came  alongside  the 
island  of  Rhodes  on  our  left.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  here  was  erected  the  colossus,  one  of  the  wonders 
of  the  world  for  a  long  period.  This  island  is  about 
one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  in  circumference  and  is 
said  to  be  one  of  the  loveliest  and  most  delightful  little 
places  anywhere  to  be  found.  Dr.  Clark  says:  "  Rhodes 
is  a  truly  delightful  spot.  The  air  of  the  place  is 
healthy  and  its  gardens  are  filled  with  delicious  fruit. 
Here,  as  at  Cos,  every  gale  is  scented  with  the  most 
powerful  fragrance  which  is  wafted  from  groves  of 
orange  and  citron  trees.  Numerous  aromatic  herbs 
exhale  at  the  same  time  such  profuse  odor  that  the 
whole  atmosphere  seems  to  be  impregnated  with  a 
spicy  perfume.1' 

As  before  stated,  Rhodes  at  the  present  time  is  noted 
for  the  colossus  which  was  erected  at  the  mouth  of  its 
inner  and  lesser  harbor,  three  hundred  years  before  the 
Christian  era.  This  statue  was  made  of  brass  by  one 
Chares,  a  pupil  of  Lysippus.  Chares  was  twelve  years 
in  making  it.  Its  height  was  one  hundred  and  five 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  633 

feet,  and  cost  over  three  hundred  thousand  dollars.  It 
was  erected  with  one  foot  on  the  land  on  each  side  of  the 
small  harbor,  the  feet  being  £fty  feet  apart.  That  you 
may  have  some  idea  of  its  magnitude,  it  is  said  very  few 
people  could  reach  around  the  thumb  of  this  statue  with 
their  arms. 

It  is  said  the  ships  of  that  day  entered  the  harbor 
between  the  legs  of  the  statue.  The  colossus  and  part 
of  the  walls  of  the  city  of  Khodes  were  thrown  down 
by  an  earthquake  fifty-six  years  after  the  colossus  was 
erected.  And  it  lay  as  it  fell  for  nearly  a  thousand 
years.  It  was  finally  bought  by  a.  Jew,  who  attempted 
to  move  it  in  pieces  to  Edessa.  He  loaded  nine  hundred 
camels,  eight  hundred  pounds  to  the  camel,  which 
shows  that  the  ruins  of  the  colossus  after  deducting 
rust,  and  perhaps  theft,  weighed  seven  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand  pounds.  The  colossus  not  only  broke 
itself  when  it  was  shaken  down,  but  it  also  broke  the 
Jew  who  bought  it — a  rare  occurrence.  I  guess,  how- 
ever, he  had  it  insured. 

When  Paul  went  from  Troy  to  Jerusalem  he  sailed 
over  the  waters  of  the  ^gean  Sea,  following  about  the 
same  line  of  travel  that  we  are  now.  He  tells  us  that 
they  went  straight  from  Troas  to  Cos,  and  the  day 
following  into  Khodes. 

This  island  to  which  we  are  coming  on  our  right  is 
the  island  of  Cos,  where  Hyppocrates,  the  father  of 
medicine,  lived  and  first  taught  the  principles  of  rational 
medicine. 

Hyppocrates  lived  from  460  to  370  B.  C.,  in  an  age 
of  ignorance,  superstition  and  witchcraft.  Medicine 
at  that  time  was  an  art  which  was  supposed  to  be 
most  mysterious,  and  those  who  practiced  it  were 


634  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

supposed  to  hold  communion  with  the  world  of  spirits. 
Some  people  believe  the  same  to-day.  It  is  believed 
by  some  that  certain  individuals  are  given  the  power 
to  call  to  earth  the  spirits  of  the  departed  dead. 
They  call  such  mediums.  I  call  them  humbugs. 
Some  few  of  them  may  be  honestly  deceived  and 
believe  that  they  can  hold  communication  with  the 
dead,  but  where  you  find  one  that  is  honest  in  believ- 
ing this  you  will  find  a  dozen  who  know  they  are 
practicing  a  game  of  fraud  and  deception  upon  a  too 
credulous  public.  In  the  time  of  Hyppocrates  the 
"physician  was  a  magician,  and  the  magician  a 
physician." 

Hyppocrates  separated  medicine  from  the  popular 
yet  false  philosophy  of  the  age  and.  brought  it  back 
into  its  proper  channel,  that  of  rational  experience. 
The  world  at  large  knows  very  little  of  how  much 
they  are  indebted  to  this  man  for  the  almost  perfected 
science  and^art  of  medicine  as  it  exists  to-day. 

He  is  called  and  deserves  the  title  of  the  "  sage  of 
Cos."  This  island  is  about  seventy-five  miles  in 
circumference,  and  is  one  of  the  many  lovely  isles  of 
the  ^Egean  Sea.  But  here  is  one  which  for  centuries 
has  been  an  object  of  far  more  than  ordinary  interest, 
especially  to  the  Christian  world.  Here  is  Patmos, 
where  St.  John  was  when  he  wrote  the  Apocalypse. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

PATHOS. 

A  S  we  steam  up  the  JEgean  Sea  we  pass  on  our 
-L-^-  left  a  small  island,  perhaps  the  most  celebrated 
of  all  these  lovely  isles.  At  one  period  it  is  said  to 
have  had  a  volcano  upon  it.  But  now  it  is  largely 
covered  with  gardens,  vineyards  and  olive  groves.  The 
small  plains  on  the  sides  and  at  the  base  of  these  vol- 
canic mountains  are  extremely  productive. 

Patmos  is  now  occupied  in  the  main  by  fishermen. 
Some  of  the  smaller  of  these  Grecian  islands  are  com- 
posed almost  wholly  of  beds  of  salt.  Others  are  of  the 
finest  marble.  The  noted  Parian  marble  was  from  an 
island  called  Paros,  one  of  the  Cyclades,  south  of  Delos. 

Patmos  is  said  to  be  only  eighteen  miles  in  circum- 
ference, and  now  has  some  twenty -five  hundred  inhab- 
itants. It  is  made  historic  as  being  the  place  where  St. 
John  wrote  the  Apocalypse.  It  has  been  generally 
thought  by  theologians  and  believed  by  the  masses, 
that  St.  John  was  banished  to  this  island  and  while 
in  exile  wrote  the  Apocalypse. 

Tho  tradition  is  that  he  was  in  Rome  with  St.  Paul 
and  St.  Peter  at  the  beginning  of  the  persecution  of 
the  Christians,  just  after  the  burning  of  the  city  of 
Rome  under  Nero.  The  tradition  says  he  was  plunged 
into  a  cauldron  of  boiling  oil  at  one  of  the  gates  of 
Rome,  and  so  far  from  suffering,  that  he  came  out  of 
the  cauldron  improved  in  physical  condition  and  in 


636  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

appearance.  I  am  growing  old,  but  I  don't  propose 
taking  a  bath  in  boiling  oil  as  a  rejuvenator. 

It  is  then  said  he  was  banished  to  this  island.  Another 
story  is,  that  an  attempt  was  made  to  kill  him  by  a 
poisoned  chalice,  but  that  "  it  was  rendered  harmless 
when  he  made  over  it  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  the 
poison  fled  from  it  in  the  form  of  a  little  asp.  " 

Reader,  since  we  come  into  this  land  of  legends, 
fables  and  traditions,  our  credulity  has  been  taxed  to 
such  an  extent  that  if  you  are  like  myself  you  place 
but  little  reliance  upon  any  account  of  supernatural 
appearances  or  events  reaching  you  through  these 
channels. 

The  only  scripture  given  us  from  which  the  inference 
could  be  drawn  that  St.  John  was  upon  the  island  of 
Patmos  involuntarily,  or  as  an  exile,  is  what  he  him- 
self says  in  the  9th  verse  of  the  1st  chapter  of  Reve- 
lations, which  reads  as  follows :  "  I,  John,  who  am  also 
your  brother  and  companion  in  tribulation  and  in  the 
kingdom  and  patience  of  Jesus  Christ,  was  in  the  isle 
which  is  called  Patmos  for  the  "Word  of  God  and  for 
the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ." 

There  is  a  period  in  the  life  of  this  beloved  disciple 
that  no  reliable  authorities  give  us  any  account  of,  as 
to  where  he  lived  or  where  he  was.  But  one  thing  we 
do  know,  and  that  is,  that  he  was  on  this  island  when 
he  saw  the  vision  which  we  find  recorded  in  the  last 
book  of  the  New  Testament.  Wise  men  have  for 
centuries  endeavored  to  comprehend  for  themselves  and 
for  the  enlightenment  of  others,  the  true  intent  and 
meaning  of  the  Revelation.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that 
those  to  whom  it  was  sent  comprehended,  and  perhaps 
saw  its  accomplishment  in  the  main,  for  John  says  at 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  637 

the  outset  that  the  things  therein  shown  him  "  must 
shortly  come  to  pass." 

He  also  says  "  the  time  is  at  hand  "  for  their  fulfill- 
ment. Mr.  Farar,  who  is  acknowledged  as  standard 
authority,  in  his  learned  work  on  the  "  Early  days  of 
Christianity  "  expresses  decidedly  the  opinion  that  St. 
John  wrote  the  book  of  Revelations  before  he  did  his 
gospel  and  epistles,  and  that  the  revelation  foretold  the 
dreadful  persecution  which  Christians  would  undergo 
in  the  dark  days  inaugurated  by  Nero  after  the  burning 
of  Rome,  and  that  it  also  pictured  in  prophetic  symbol 
the  downfall  and  destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  Titus. 
But  anyway  John  was  a  great  man,  a  beloved  disciple, 
and  has  told  us  enough  outside  of  the  Apocalypse  if  we 
will  only  conform  our  lives  to  it,  and  live  as  he  tells  us 
to  live,  and  love  as  he  tells  us  to  love,  to  enable  us  not 
only  to  grow  in  the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  but  to  take  us  home  to  a  happier  world 
beyond  the  grave  in  the  not  far  distant  bye-and-bye. 

It  was  a  bright,  pretty,  sunny  day  when  we 
steamed  up  the  lovely  archipelago.  We  had  on  board 
several  hundred  Greek  Catholics,  who  were  returning 
home  from  a  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land.  These 
devout  people  gathered  together  on  the  deck  of  the 
steamer,  and  just  as  the  bright  rays  of  the  morning 
sun  came  streaming  over  the  mountains  of  Asia,  they 
began  their  morning  devotions.  They  prayed  stand- 
ing. Their  oft-repeated  bows  and  crossings  kept  them 
in  continual  motion.  This  devotional  exercise  occupied 
about  an  hour,  and  was  repeated  three  times  a  day.  I 
was  forcibly  impressed  with  the  religious  devotion  of 
these  oriental  people  as  compared  with  the  Protestant 
religionists  of  our  country. 


638  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

There  are  thousands  of  our  people,  professors  of 
religion  and  non-professors,  who  can't  find  time,  on 
account  of  pressure  of  business  on  the '  part  of  some, 
laziness  on  the  part  of  others,  and  indifference  and 
want  of  interest  in  religious  matters  on  the  part  of  yet 
others,,  to  devote  even  an  hour  on  the  Sabbath  to  the 
worship  of  Almighty  God. 

These  oriental  people  devote  from  four  to  six  hours 
of  the  twenty-four  to  their  religious  worship.  Who 
shall  say  that  God  does  not  hear  and  answer  their 
prayers,  or  that  they  do  not  "go  down  to  their  houses 
justified  rather  than  the  other  ? " 

We  are  now  passing  between  two  islands,  Samos,  on 
the  right,  and  Mkaria  on  the  left.  Samos  is  a  short 
distance  from  the  mainland,  nearly  opposite  Ephesus. 
When  St.  Paul  sailed  from  Ephesus  on  his  way  to  Jeru- 
salem he  sailed  between  the  island  Samos  and  the 
mainland.  But,  as  it  is  our  intention  to  visit  Ephesus 
"by  rail  from  Smyrna,  we  leave  this  little  island  to  our 
right. 

Samos  was  the  home  of  Pythagoras,  who,  we  learn, 
discovered,  among  other  theorems  in  geometry,  the  47th 
problem  of  Euclid;  that  is,  "that  the  square  of  the 
side  which  subtends  a  right  angle  is  equal  tosthe  sum 
of  the  squares  that  contain  the  right  angle. " 

Pythagoras  was  a  philosopher,  ancl  was  also  well- 
versed  in  mathematics,  geometry,  and  the  arts  and 
sciences  in  general.  Eusebius  says  he  died  in  466  B.  C. 
Pythagoras,  having  procured  recommendations  from 
Polvcrates,  the  king  or  emperor  of  the  island  of  Samos, 
to  Amasis,  king  of  Egypt,  visited  that  then  enlightened 
country  to  add  to  his  store  of  knowledge  by  being 
initiated  into  the  secret  orders  of  the  Egyptian  priest- 


AKD   THE   HOLY    LAND.  639 

hood.  He  found  this  no  easy  matter,  however ;  not- 
withstanding he  went  to  Heliopolis,  the  city  of  the 
sun,  with  authority  to  the  priests  to  admit  him  from 
King  Amasis  himself.  The  college  of  priests  of  JEEeli- 
opolis  referred  him  to  the  college  of  Memphis,  under  the 
pretense  of  its  being  an  older  college.  This  college, 
under  the  same  pretense,  sent  him  to  Thebes.  The 
Theban  priests  required  of  him  many  severe  and 
troublesome  ceremonies,  among  which  was  that  of 
circumcision,  hoping  thereby  to  discourage  him  from 
prosecuting  his  design. 

His  patient  and  quiet  submission  to  all  their  require- 
ments, however,  finally  won  their  confidence  and 
esteem,  and  they  admitted  him  to  their  hidden  mys- 
teries. Pythagoras  remained  in  Egypt  twenty-two 
years.  When  he  returned  he  founded  a  school  at  Crotona, 
in  Italy.  He  bound  his  disciples  under  oath  to  receive 
his  doctrines,  and  under  no  circumstances  or  induce- 
ments whatever  were  they  to  be  divulged  or  to  go 
beyond  the  sect. 

This  Pythagorian  college  at  Crotona  had  a  member- 
ship of  six  hundred.  After  initiation  and  a  certain 
amount  of  training  they  were  made  to  study  geometry 
and  the  laws  governing  the  universe,  the  primary 
principles  of  creation  and  the  evidences  of  the  existence 
of  a  god.  We  are  further  told  that  Pythagoras  taught 
after  the  Egyptian  manner,  by  images  and  symbols, 
which  were  unintelligible  or  exceedingly  obscure  to 
those  who  were  not  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  the 
school.  It  would  appear  from  all  this  that  this  learned 
man  found  in  the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians  something 
nearer  akin  to  Free  Masonry  than  can  be  found  among 
the  howling  dervishes  of  Palestime. 


640  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

Pythagoras  is  said  to  have  been  a  master  mason. 
We  know  enough  of  him  to  know  that  he  was  one  of 
the  learned  men  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived,  and  like 
Moses,  Plato  and  other  illustrious  characters,  he 
gathered  much  of  his  wisdom  and  knowledge  in  the 
land  of  the  Pharaohs.  No  man  can  look  at  the  pyra- 
mids, the  temples,  the  obelisks,  the  mastabas,  and  other 
works  of  the  craftsmen  which  we  find  in  Egypt, 
executed  before  the  days  of  steel-made  tools,  without 
feeling  a  degree  of  wonder  and  admiration  for  the 
artistic  skill  and  architectural  knowledge  displayed  by 
those  ancient  masons.  A  skill  unequaled  even  in  the 
civilized  world  to-day. 

Among  these  islands  and  over  tnese  lovely  waters, 
eighteen  hundred  years  ago,  SS.  Paul  and  John  were 
accustomed  to  make  voyages,  visiting  the  various 
churches  which  were  scattered  along  the  Syrian  and 
Asiatic  coasts.  Can  the  narrative  given  us  in  the  New 
Testament  b3  a  fable,  "  a  tale  that  is  told  "  ?  If  so,  why 
do  I  find,  everywhere  I  go,  God's  witnesses  to  its  truth. 
Witnesses  which  will  endure  long  after  the  earthly 
remains  of  such  cavilers  have  been  consumed  by  worms 
and  returned  to  dust. 

When  we  went  on  deck  this  morning  we  found  our 
steamer  anchored  at  Chios.  We  are  told  in  the  scrip- 
tures that  after  leaving  Troas,  St.  Paul  sailed  by  this 
island  and  landed  at  Samos  and  tarried  at  Trogyllium, 
and  the  next  dav  went  on  to  Melitus.  which  is  on  the 

» 

southern  shore  of  the  bay,  and  at  the  time  St.  Paul 
was  there  it  was  an  important  city.  It  lay  to  our  right 
when  opposite  Patmos.'  We  are  told  that  he  avoided 
Ephesus,  as  he  was  in  a  hurry  to  reach.  Jerusalem  so  as 
to  be  there  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND  641 

Reader,  you  will  see  we  are  traveling  over  the  same 
route  which  St.  Paul  traveled  in  going  to  Jerusalem. 
He  was  going  to  Jerusalem,  and  we  are  coining  from  the 
Holy  City. 

Leaving  Chios,  we  soon  entered  the  bay  of  Smyrna, 
which  place  we  reached  about  noon.  Smyrna  is  located 
very  much  like  Naples,  i.  <?.,  it  is  located  on  the  sides  of 
the  hills  bordering  the  bay.  The  city  extends  further 
down  on  the  right  than  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  bay, 
however. 

Smyrna  has  a  good  harbor  and  a  good  wharf.  I 
would  estimate  the  population  at  about  fifty  thousand. 
Vessel??  are  not  allowed  to  go  up  alongside  the  wharves 
and  run  out  stage  planks,  and  receive  and  discharge 
their  cargoes,  as  is  done  in  all  decent  countries  where 
they  have  such  harbors  and  wharves  as  we  find  here. 
This  is  to  prevent  the  laborers  engaged  in  transporting 
freights  and  passengers  in  their  little  boats  to  and  from 
the  steamers,  from  being  thrown  out  of  employment. 

As  we  approach  the  city  we  pass  a  fort  planted  in 
the  middle  of  the  bay,  which  seemed  to  be  well  garri- 
soned. 

There  is  a  nice  wide  street  running  along  the  bay, 
and  all  or  nearly  all  the  houses  fronting  on  this  street, 
both  residences  and  business  houses,  are  occupied  by 
Europeans,  back  from  the  street  and  all  the  heart  of 
city  being  occupied  by  Arabians  and  Turks.  Conse- 
quently we  find  the  same  narrow,  rough  paved,  dirty 
streets  without  sidewalks  as  seen  and  described  else 
where,  many  of  them  vaulted,  others  covered  in  with  . 
some  kind  of  old  coarse  black  cloth.  The  element  of  the 
population  occupying  this  part  of  the  city  seems  to  be 
more  degraded  than  in  some  places  we  have  been. 


642  TRAVELS  IN   EGYPT 

We  find  here,  as  in  some  other  piaces,  all  manner  of 
refreshments  served  on  the  streets.  The  restaurants 
set  their  tables  in  the  street,  where  all  manner  of  eata- 
bles and  drinks,  such  as  tea,  coffee,  wine,  lemonade, 
etc.,  are  served.  We  see  no  donkeys  or  camels  here, 
but  quite  a  number  of  nice  hacks  and  street  cars.  In 
some  directions  the  city  is  built  back  to  the  top  of  the 
high  rocky  hills.  The  buildings,  as  before  stated,  extend 
mainly  down  on  the  right-hand  side  as  approached  from 
the  bay.  Near  the  top  of  a  hill  on  the  right-hand  of 
the  bay  we  visited  the  grave  of  Polycarp,  Bishop  of 
Smyrna,  and  a  personal  friend  and  acquaintance  of  the 
apostle  St.  John.  The  grave  is  very  nicely  walled  in 
and  arched  over,  and  has  an  evergreen  growing  in  each 
end  of  his  tomb. 

We  learn  that  Polycarp  was  probao^y  oorn  at  this 
place  during  the  reign  of  Nero,  i.  e.,  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  1st  century  of  the  Christian  era.  He  was  a 
disciple  of  the  apostle  John,  and  was  by  him  appointed 
bishop  or  pastor  of  the  church  at  Smyrna.  During  the 
persecution  of  the  Christians  under  the  reign  of  Mar- 
cus Aurelius,  this  faithful  Christian  and  pastor  suffered 
martyrdom  with  the  most  heroic  fortitude.  This 
occurred  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1 69.  When  he  was 
being  led  to  the  stake  to  be  bound  and  consumed  by 
the  flames  the  pro-consul  offered  him  his  life  if  he 
would  blaspheme  Christ.  The  venerable  old  servant  of 
God  replied,  "  Eighty  and  six  years  have  I  served  him 
and  he  has  ever  treated  me  with  kindness.  How  then 
can  I  blaspheme  him?"  I  plucked  a  sprig  of  evergreen 
from  one  of  the  cedars  which  grew  by  his  grave  and 
wondered  and  asked  myself  the  question,  could  I  march 
to  the  stake  and  offer  up  my  life  in  the  midst  of  tor- 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  64i3 

taring  flames  rather  than  deny  my  Lord  and  Savior? 
Reader,  ask  yourself  the  question,  could  you  2 

There  is  but  little  here  to  interest  the  traveler, 
except  the  fact  that  it  is  the  site  of  ancient  Smyrna, 
where  was  located  one  of  the  seven  Christian  churches 
of  Asia  to  whom  the  letters  in  the  Apocalypse  were 
addressed.  In  fact  all  seven  of  these  churches  were 
located  not  far  distant  from  this  old  city. 

Our  vessel  lies  in  the  harbor,  giving  us  a  day  to  visit 
old  Ephesus.  So  after  an  early  breakfast  we  take  a 
street  car  and  go  up  the  bay  half  or  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  to  the  railroad  depot,  where  we  find  a  special  train 
fitted  up  for  our  accommodation. 

Dr.  Crunden,  our  teacher  and  interpreter,  was  fre- 
quently doing  such  things  for  us. 

Our  route  runs  south  through  a  oeautifui  valley, 
which  for  ten  or  twelve  miles  was  covered  with  mag- 
nificent orchards  of  olive,  pomegranate,  fig  and  other 
tropical  fruits.  Far  out  in  the  plain  on  each  side  of  the 
road,  and  occasionally  bordering  it,  were  immense 
vineyards.  Everything  seems  to  grow  with  a  luxari- 
ance  unseen  by  us  before. 

As  we  get  further  out  from  the  city  we  oegin  to  see 
grain  fields — wheat,  barley  and  other  cereals.  When 
we  had  reached  a  point  thirty  or  thirty-five  miles  dis- 
tant from  the  city,  we  came  to  a  narrow  pass,  the 
almost  perpendicular  cliffs  of  the  mountains  projecting 
into  the  valley  on  each  side  of  the  road.  This  was  but 
for  a  short  distance,  however,  as  the  valley  soon  wid- 
ened out  again.  Now  and  then,  especially  on  the  east 
side  of  the  road,  we  could  see  branch  valleys  ( leading 
off  and  widening  out)  as  they  stretched  away  in  the 
far  distance.  Now  and  then  we  crossed  beautiful  run- 


644  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

ning  streams,  contiguous  to  which,  in  many  instances, 
were  large  tracts  of  uncultivated  lands,  generally  flat 
and  wet,  used  for  grazing  purposes  by  the  Bedouins, 
who  were  in  tents  herding  large  droves  of  horses,  cattle 
and  sheep.  As  we  approached  the  depot,  where  we 
were  to  leave  the  train  and  mount  donkeys,  the  valley 
again  widened  out  and  was  covered  with  wheatfields 
just  beginning  to  ripen  for  the  harvest. 

After  reaching  the  hotel  we  mounted  donkeys, 
which  had  been  brought  out  from  Smyrna  on  the  train 
with  us  for  our  use,  and  set  out  to  visit  the  ruins  of  the 
old  city  of  Ephesus,  three  miles  distant,  and  yet  in  full 
view  and  seemingly  only  half  a  mile  away. 

In  fact  here  all  around  the  depot  are  straggling  rows 
of  tall  stone  columns,  which  once  supported  grand 
structures.  Storks  have  taken  possession  of  these  col- 
umns and  crowned  them  with  quantities  of  brush  and 
straw,  out  of  which  they  have  constructed  their  nests. 

Reader,  the  impression  may  have  been  made  upon 
your  mind,  as  it  was  upon  mine,  by  reading  certain 
books  of  travel,  that  the  remains  of  this  old  renowned 
city  of  Asia  were  but  few,  and  consequently  the  evi- 
dences of  its  exact  location  unsatisfactory. 

You  may  imagine,  therefore,  my  astonishment  and 
surprise,  when  riding  my  donkey  through  and  around 
the  city,  to  find,  not  a  heap  of  rubbish  and  stone,  the 
only  remains  of  fallen  temples  and  palaces  with  scat- 
tered columns  here  and  there ;  on  the  contrary,  very 
many  of  the  entire  outer  walls,  partition  walls,  and 
portions  of  walls,  are  standing  in  situ.  The  location, 
character  and  style  of  very  many  buildings  can  be 
determined  at  a  glance. 

The  city  was  extensive  and  beautifully  located.    In 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  643 

what  seemed  from  the  ruins  to  be  near  the  center  of  the 
city  is  a  well  formed  hill.  This  hill  is  detached  from 
a  range  of  small  hills  which  bound  the  valley  on  the 
south.  Just  west  of  this  hill  the  range  recedes  from 
the  valley,  allowing  it  to  widen  out  and  extend  for 
miles  farther  south. 

The  valley  is  bounded  on  the  east,  in  the  distance, 
by  a  high  ridge  of  rocky  hills  which  lie  between  the 
valley  and  the  coast  of  the  ^Egean  Sea. 

This  hill,  called  Mt.  Prion,  was  composed  of  fine 
marble,  hence  it  was  cut  down  considerably  from  its 
original  height  to  obtain  building  material. 

The  city  was  built  all  over  the  hill  and  into  the 
valley  surrounding  it.  The  space  or  ridge  between  Mt. 
Prion  and  the  adjoining  hill  on  the  south  is  consider- 
ably elevated  above  the  valley  east  and  west  of  it. 
And  here  was  pointed  out  to  us  several  of  the  houses 
mentioned  in  the  narration  of  the  scriptural  events 
which  occurred  at  this  place. 

We  learn  that  St.  Paul  taught  this  people  for  two 
years,  disputing  in  the  house  of  one  Tyrannus.  In 
passing  around  Mt.  Prion  over  the  ridge  separating 
that  hill  from  the  mainland,  we  find  an  old  stone 
building  with  its  walls  mainly  intact.  This  is  said  to 
be  the  house  of  Tyrannus,  a  good-sized  structure  well 
preserved. 

Further  east,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  same  local- 
ity, are  several  tombs  built  on  the  surface  of  the 
ground ;  among  them  a  marble  tomb  about  six  by  eight 
feet  in  size,  four  or  six  feet  in  height.  On  the  east  stone 
was  engraved  an  ox  with  a  cross  above  it.  This  is  pointed 
out  as  the  reputed  grave  of  the  apostle  John.  Not  a 
great  way  from  it  may  be  seen  the  area  with  its  stone 


646  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

floor  and  part  of  the  walls  still  standing,  of  what  is 
said  to  have  been  the  court-room  of  Ephesus. 

On  the  west  side  of  the  mount  some  fifteen  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  plain  stood  the  theater.  Some  of  the 
massive  stone  steps  which  lead  up  to  a  broad  porch 
which  stood  before  the  entrance  in  the  main  auditorium 
are  apparent.  Much  of  the  substructure  and  parts  of 
the  stone  flooring  are  still  to  be  seen.  This  theater 
was  a  large  structure,  erected  of  massive  material  and 
handsomely  located. 

We  read  of  the  destruction  of  Ephesus  at  different 
periods  subsequent  to  the  days  of  the  apostles,  but  I 
am  of  the  opinion  that  they  referred  in  the  main  to 
the  residences  of  the  inhabitants,  which  were  located 
nearer  the  mouth  of  the  Cayster  river  contiguous  to 
tho  harbor.  We  learn  that  Lysimachus,  wishing  to 
protect  Ephesus  from  the  inundations  to  which  the 
low  lands  were  subjected  by  the  yearly  overflow  of 
the  Cayster  river,  built  a  city  upon  a  mountain  and 
surrounded  it  with  walls. 

Pococke,  who  visited  Ephesus  about  1740,  says  that 
there  was  not  at  that  time  a  single  Christian  within 
two  leagues  around  Ephesus.  And  Arundell  says : 
"The  destruction,  January,  1824,  when  he  visited 
the  place,  was  complete."  He  found  one  Turk  and 
his  Greek  servant  its  only  inhabitants.  This  is  the 
reason  we  find  the  ruins  of  the  old  city  in  such  a  good 
state  of  preservation.  They  have  been  let  lie  as  they 
have  fallen  or  been  shaken  down  by  earthquakes. 

These  Turks  are  regular  dogs  in  the  manger.  They 
care  nothing  for  the  ruins  of  these  old  cities  where 
were  located  the  seven  churches  of  Asia,  and  they 
don't  want  others  to  care  for  them.  I  am  not  sur- 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  647 

prised  at  the  Turk's  great  partiality  to  the  dog,  for 
in  very  many  things  the  animal  characteristics  of  the 
two  are  very  much  alike. 

In  the  records  of  our  religion,  Ephesus  is  ennobled 
as  the  burial  place  of  St.  John,  who  lived  and  was 
buried  here;  also  Timothy,  the  companion  of  St. 
Paul,  but  his  remains  were  subsequently  removed  to 
Constantinople  and  are  said  to  have  been  laid  with 
the  bodies  of  SS.  Luke  and  Andrew,  in  what  was 
called  the  Church  of  the  Apostles  in  that  city. 

The  scriptures  tell  us  that  Paul,  while  here,  was  the 
instrumentality  through  which  God  wrought  many 
miracles,,  and  effected  many  cures  of  the  afflicted,  and 
cast  out  many  devils  by  sending  to  the  afflicted  hand- 
kerchiefs, aprons,  etc.,  which  he  had  worn.  "We  are 
further  told  that  there  were  certain  vagabond  Jews 
here  who  pretended  to  expel  devils  or  evil  spirits  out 
of  people  by  conjuration,  who  undertook  to  cast  them 
out  in  the  "name  of  Jesus"  whom  Paul  preached. 
Seva,  chief  of  the  priests,  had  seven  sons  who  were  of 
these,  but  the  evil  spirit  or  maniac  said  :  ''  Jesus  I  know  " 
"  and  Paul  I  know,"  "  but  who  are  ye  ? "  This  maniac, 
for  he  evidently  was  one,  and  only  that,  whipped  out 
the  whole  gang  of  them  u  so  that  they  fled  out  of  the 
house  naked  and  wounded." 

This  had  a  tendency  to  brean:  up  the  conjuring  busi- 
ness for  a  time.  They  brought  their  books  of  necro- 
mancy together  to  the  amount  of  fifty  thousand  pieces 
of  silver  and  burned  them. 

About  this  time  Paul  sent  Timothy  and  Erastus  over 
to  Macedonia,  and  a  fellow  named  Demetrius,  a  silver- 
smith, raised  a  great  stir,  in  fact  there  was  a  regular 
riot  in  the  city,  which  like  all  such  popular  excitements 


648  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

grew  and  spread  until,  we  are  told,  the  whole  city  was 
filled  with  confusion  and  uproar. 

Ephesus  was  famed  for  its  great  temple  of  Diana. 
The  statue  of  the  goddess  was  a  block  of  wood  said  by 
some  to  be  of  beach  or  elm,  and  by  others  cedar.  It 
was  carved  into  the  similitude  of  Diana  (not  as  the 
elegant  huntress),  but  like  an  Egyptian  goddess  of 
nature  with  many  breasts ;  the  lower  part  was  an 
unformed  block  of  wood  with  the  feet  below. 

"  This  wooden  lady  was  gorgeously  dressed,  her  gar- 
ments being  embroidered  with  emblems  of  symbolical 
devices.  It  was  believed  that  the  image  of  this  god- 
dess fell  down  from  Jupiter.  "  "  She  was  worshiped 
and  adored  not  only  at  Ephesus,  but  temples  were 
erected  and  consecrated  to  her  in  many  other  localities 
in  Asia. 

The  temple  of  Diana,  in  which  this  wooden  goddess 
was  worshiped,  "was  four  hundred  and  twenty-five 
feet  long  and  two  hundred  and  twenty  wide,  sur- 
rounded by  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  columns  of 
Parian  marble,  each  a  single  shaft  sixty  feet  high.  Its 
building  occupied  two  hundred  and  twenty  years." 

It  was  not  only  dedicated  as  a  shrine  to  the  goddess, 
but  it  was  also  used  as  a  depository  of  the  fine  arts  by 
the  masters  of  the  period. 

It  stood,  if  I  have  the  courses  rightly  in  my  mind,  in 
a  rather  flat  place  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  city.  It 
is  said  a  marshy  spot  was  selected  in  which  to  erect  it, 
to  prevent  its  cracking,  and  also  to  prevent  its  being 
shaken  down  by  earthquakes.  The  foundation  was  made 
with  charcoal  rammed  with  fleeces. 

The  valley  surrounding  the  foundation  walls  of  the 
old  temple  was  sown  in  wheat,  and  being  wet  from  a 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  649 

cold  rain  which  was  falling,  I  didn't  tarry  long  in  tak- 
ing a  survey  of  its  ruins. 

The  foundation  walls  in  some  places  are  now  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  feet  high  and  in  a  good  state  of  pres- 
ervation. Demetrius  and  his  fellow  silversmiths  became 
alarmed  at  the  success  of  Paul  and  his  co-laborers  in 
their  efforts  to  turn  these  people  from  idolatry,  fearing 
it  would  cripple  their  trade,  "  they  being  silversmiths 
and  god-makers.  Demetrius  called  the  craftsmen 
together  and  made  a  little  talk  to  them,  saying  "  that 
they  knew  by  their  craft  they  made  their  wealth,  and 
that  this  Paul  was  turning  away  much  people,  not  only 
in  Ephesus,  but  throughout  all  Asia,  telling  them  that 
"  there  be  no  gods  which  are  made  with  hands." 

This  made  them  all  mad  and  they  cried  out,  saying  : 
"  Great  is  Diana  of  the  Ephesians."  "With  this  war 
cry  they  stirred  up  the  populace  to  fever  heat.  They 
caught  Gaius  and  Aristacchus,  men  of  Macedonia 
(Paul's  traveling  companions),  and  rushed  them  into 
the  theatre.  Paul  would  have  followed  them,  but  his 
friends  prevented  him,  and  some  of  his  friends  in  the 
theatre  sent  him  word  not  to  venture  to  come  near. 

Finally  the  town  clerk  commanded  the  attention  of 
the  excited  mob  long  enough  to  make  a  sensible  talk  to 
them,  telling  them  that  "no one  disputed  the  fact  that 
the  city  of  Ephesus  was  a  worshiper  of  the  great  god- 
dess Diana  and  the  image  which  fell  down  from  Jupi- 
ter." He  said  :  "  Seeing  these  things  cannot  be  spoken 
against,  you  ought  to  be  quiet  and  do  nothing  rashh". 
These  men  are  neither  robbers  of  churches  nor  blasphem- 
ers of  your  goddess.  If  Demetrius  and  his  craftsmen 
have  a  matter  aga.inst  any  man,  the  law  is  open  and 
there  are  officers  of  the  law,  let  them  settle  the  matter 


650 

lawfully."  He  told  them  plainly  that  there  were  no 
justifiable  grounds  for  the  uproar  they  were  creating 
and  that  they  were  in  danger  of  being  called  to  account 
for  it.  After  this  he  dismissed  the  assembly  and  Paul, 
seeing  that  the  uproar  had  ceased,  called  the  disciples 
together,  embraced  them  and  left  the  city. 

The  reader  will  remember  it  was  here  Aquila  and 
Pricilla  instructed  Apollus  in  the  way  of  the  Lord 
more  perfectly. 

hen  St.  Paul  was. at  Miletus  on  his  way  to  Jerusa- 
lem he  sent  to  this  place  and  called  to  him  the  elders  of 
the  church,  and  we  find  nothing  more  beautiful,  instruc- 
tive or  more  touching  than  his  farewell  address  to  them 
on  that  occasion.  It  was  the  last  time  he  ever  saw 
them. 

The  glory  of  Ephesus  has  long  since  departed,  but  it 
afforded  me  inexpressible  delight  and  unfeigned  pleas- 
ure to  think  of  its  former  glory  and  to  look  upon  its 
grandeur  even  in  ruins.  It  required  no  great  effort 
of  the  imagination  to  rebuild  and  repeople  the  ancient 
city,  and  to  hear  again  the  fanatical  cry  of  "  Great  is 
Diana  of  the  Ephesians." 

"When  I  left  the  ruins  of  this  ancient  city  it  was  with 
a  feeling  of  regret  that  I  could  not  stay  longer  and 
wander  at  leisure  through  its  deserted  and  untrodden 
streets  and  halls.  If  there  be  any  pharisaism  in  my 
make-up  I  am  not  aware  of  it.  And  as  for  an  idola- 
trous worship  or  veneration  for  places  and  objects,  I 
had  seen  enough  to  disgust  any  sensible  man,  and  even 
a  fool,  so  I  do  not  think  it  was  a  feeling  of  this  kind 
that  created  in  me  a  desire  to  see  more  of  this,  one  of 
the  locations  of  the  seven  churches  of  Asia.  And  yet  I 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  651 

repeat,  I  had  the  desire,  and  regretted  having  to  leave 
it  so  soon. 

From  the  depot  out  to  Mt.  Prion  ( three  miles )  we 
rode  through  wheat-fields.  The  stalks  of  grain  were 
standing  as  thick  as  it  was  possible  to  grow  upon  the 
ground,  and  as  high  as  my  head  on  a  donkey  of  more 
than  the  average  height.  I  inquired  of  the  hotel  keeper 
at  the  depot  (a  Frenchman)  what  was  the  average 
yield  of  grain  from  such  crops  in  that  country.  He 
informed  me  that  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  bushels 
to  the  acre  was  regarded  as  an  average  yield. 

On  our  way  from  Smyrna  to  Constantinople,  the 
captain  of  the  steamer,  a  Russian  vessel,  informed  us 
that  from  two  hundred  to  t\vo  hundred  and  fifty 
bushels  of  wheat  to  their  measure  of  land  answering  to 
our  acre  (but  comprising  a  larger  area,  I  suppose)  was 
not  an  unusual  yield  of  grain  for  some  sections  of 
country  in  Russia,  particularly  around  the  Black  Sea. 

I  never  saw  anything  in  this  country  that  would 
compare  with  the  grain  I  saw  growing  there.  For 
several  years  before  the  late  Confederate  war  I  planted 
wheat,  barley  and  oats,  on  as  fertile  land  as  the  valley 
of  Red  River  affords ;  but  under  the  most  favorable  cir- 
cumstances and  during  the  best  grain  seasons,  neither 
the  luxuriance  of  growth  nor  the  yield  of  grain  would 
compare  with  the  crops  I  saw  growing  in  Asia  Minor. 

After  leaving  Smyrna  and  proceeding  on  our  jour- 
ney to  Constantinople,  we  coasted  along  not  far  from 
the  shore,  leaving  the  islands  of  Chios  and  Miletium  on 
our  left.  Athens  is  just  across  the  ^Egean  Sea,  west 
of  us. 

After  steaming  out  of  the  gulf  at  Smyrna,  the  main- 
land on  our  right  is  the  old  classical  land  of  ancient 


652  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

Troas,  the  land  which  Homer,  in  the  noblest  poem  of 
antiquity,  has  so  beautifully  and  accurately  described, 
making  allowance,  of  course,  for  poetical  exaggeration. 

The  site  of  the  old  city  of  Troy  is  yet,  to  some 
extent  at  least,  an  open  question.  New  Troy  presents 
a  beautiful  appearance  when  viewed  from  the  deck  of 
the  steamer.  The  mainland  is  high  and  rolling,  and 
to  some  extent  hilly,  bare  of  forest  trees,  and  .but  few 
scattering  orchards  to  be  seen  on  the  extended  land- 
scape. Judging  from  the  general  appearance  of  the 
country,  I  infer  that  it  is  now  mainly,  if  not  wholly, 
used  as  pastoral  lands  by  the  restless  Bedouins. 

Looking  at  the  old  historic  land  reminds  one  of  an 
incident  in  the  life  of  the  great  apostle  Paul,  which 
occurred  when  on  a  visit  here  just  before  going  to 
Jerusalem. 

We  read  that  he  remained  here  seven  days,  and  upon 
the  first  day  of  the  week,  when  the  disciples  came 
together  to  break  bread,  Paul  preached  to  them,  as  it 
was  his  intention  to  depart  the  next  day.  Paul  preached 
a  long  sermon  that  night.  We  are  further  told  that  a 
young  man  by  the  name  of  Eutychus,  who  was  sitting  in 
a  window,  went  to  sleep  and  fell  out.  It  being  a  third- 
story  window,  he  was  taken  up  for  dead.  I  don't 
believe  from  the  narration  of  this  accident  that  the 
young  man  was  really  dead,  or  that  Paul  performed  a 
miracle  in  bringing  him  to  life,  neither  do  I  think  the 
writer  of  the  incident  intended  to  convey  that  impres- 
sion. The  young  man  had  a  severe  fall,  and  the  shock 
knocked  him  senseless  for  a  while,  but  when  Paul  fell 
upon  and  clasped  him  in  his  arms  he  discovered  signs 
of  life  in  him,  and  realizing  that  he  was  not  dead  said  : 
"  Trouble  not  yourselves,  for  his  life  is  in  him." 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  653 

This  would  be  a  very  frequent  accident  in  the  present 
day  if  certain  members  of  our  congregation  were  per- 
mitted to  sit  in  the  windows  of  our  churches.  I  have  now 
and  then  been  under  the  necessity  of  listening  to  some 
very  uninteresting,long,  dry  sermons,  but  for  one  I  deter- 
mined early  in  life  never  to  treat  a  teacher  of  the  religion 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  with  the  impoliteness  and  dis- 
courtesy of  sleeping,  and  it  might  be  of  snoring,  while 
he  was  doing  the  best  he  could  to  tell  me  something 
about  the  teaching  of  God's  word  which  I  perhaps 
didn't  know  before. 

I  give  this  class  of  preachers  the  credit  of  trying  to 
preach,  whether  they  succeeded  or  not.  And  if  the 
minister  can  afford  to  wrestle  and  weary  with  a  subject, 
about  which  he  knows  but  little  if  anything,  for  an 
hour  and  a  half  or  two  hours,  I  think  even  a  sleepy- 
headed  Christian  ought  to  endure  a  little  martyrdom 
now  and  then,  and  keep  awake,  for  the  sake  of  the 
minister's  good  intentions  and  the  sanctity  of  the  cause 
which  he  is  trying  to  advance. 

All  Christians,  I  am  sure,  had  rather  hear  a  member 
of  the  congregation  shout  "  hallelujah  "  than  to  hear 
him  snore.  Snoring  in  church  don't  fit. 

About  noon  we  entered  the  Dardanelles  and  have 
the  old  land  of  Thracia,  now  a  province  called  Roumelia, 
on  our  left,  and  old  Troas,  called  Anatolia,  on  our  right. 

The  Dardanelles  is  several  miles  wide.  On  the  coast 
of  Roumelia  is  situated  the  very  pretty  little  town 
Gallipola.  The  strait  which  terminates  the  Darda- 
nelles, where  it  enters  the  Sea  of  Marmora,  is  called 
Hellespont. 

All  this  country  presents  to  me  a  new  and  strange 
appearance.  As  far  as  eye  can  reach  the  hills  and 


654:  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

plains  are  destitute  of  houses,  fences  and  forest  trees, 
giving  it  a  lonely,  barren  and  forsaken  appearance. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  Palestine. 

The  far  reach  of  prospect,  an  absence  of  a  diversity 
of  objects  of  comparison,  contracts  the  area  of  the  vil- 
lages and  dwarfs  their  buildings  so  that  what  few 
objects  there  are  to  be  seen  have  a  Lilliputian  appear- 
ance Houses  look  like  toys,  trees  like  bushes,  and 
rivers  like  brooks. 

When  we  enter  the  Sea  of  Marmara  (usually  spelled 
Marmora  on  our  maps),  the  island  of  Marmara  rises 
just  before  us;  far  enough  from  the  mainland  on  either 
side,  however,  to  give  steamers  choice  of  routes  and 
ample  room.  Our  pilot  chose  the  left,  leaving  the 
island  to  the  right.  It,  is  a  pretty  island,  but  rocky 
and  barren.  Saw  no  appearance  of  habitations,  still,  I 
am  inclined  to  believe  the  interior  occupied  by  fisher- 
men. The  island  is  much  larger  than  would  be 
inferred  from  its  representation  on  our  maps,  though 
its  exact  size  by  measurement  I  do  not  now  recall  to 
mind. 

Toward  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  sea  we  enter  to 
the  north  the  Bosphorus,  having  old  Byzantium  on 
the  left  and  Scutari  on  the  right.  The  bay  here  is 
several  miles  wide,  although  it  does  not  seem  to  be  so. 
Our  steamer  now  heads  directly  north  and  casts  anchor 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Golden  Horn,  which  sweeps 
around  in  a  northeastern  direction,  separating  the  old 
city  of  Byzantium  from  the  more  modern  built  Con- 
stantinople. And  now  we  are  here  in  Constantinople^ 
the  heaven  of  the  Turk  and  his  fellow-citizen,  the 
mangy  cur. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

CONSTANTINOPLE. 

THIS  city  presents  a  magnificent  appearance,  but 
we  are  not  to  judge  it  by  external  appearances, 
they  are  too  often  deceptive.  The  Savior  drew  a 
strong  contrast  between  the  apparent  piety  of  the 
pharisees  and  their  true  inwardness  when  He  said  they 
were  like  whited  sepulchers,  pretty  in  appearance,  but 
filled  with  dead  men's  bones.  And  here,  when  we 
come  to  ride  over  this  noted  and  favored  city,  we 
may  find  a  like  contrast — we  shall  see. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  deal  with  the  history  of  this 
old  city  whose  foundation  was  laid  several  centuries 
before  the  Christian  era,  and  whose  name  was  derived 
from  a  legendary  prince  of  Thrace,  named  Byzas. 

In  323  Constantino  transferred  the  seat  of  the 
Roman  empire  from  Rome  to  Byzantium,  and  the  city 
took  from  him  the  name  of  Constantinople. 

Constantine  issued  from  here  several  edicts  for  the 
suppression  of  idolatry,  and  had  the  churches  and 
property  of  the  Christians  restored  to  them ;  but  for 
all  that,  before  we  bestow  too  much  praise  upon  the 
righteous  acts  of  this  hypocritical  "first  Christian 
Roman  emperor,"  as  he  is  styled,  suppose  we  look 
beneath  his  Christian  garb  and  expose  some  of  his 
inhuman,  brutal,  murderous  acts. 

"When  his  own  son  Crispus  displayed  singular 
military  talents  and  secured  victory  to  the  arms  of  his 
father  in  the  wars  against  Licinius,"  the  old  brute 
stifled  every  paternal  feeling  and,  moved  by  an 

656 


656  TBAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

unnatural  and  shameful  jealousy,  had  his  son  first 
imprisoned  and  then  put  to  death.  At  the  same  time 
he  had  his  nephew,  his  sister's  son,  beheaded  without 
accusation  or  trial,  notwithstanding  his  broken- 
hearted mother  plead  and  implored  him  to  spare  the 
life  of  her  boy.  After  which  he  had  Fausta,  his 
wife,  strangled  to  death  in  a  bath-tub. 

I  see  nothing  in  the  life  of  Christ,  nor  do  I  find 
anything  in  his  teachings,  to  justify  prefixing  the  word 
Christian  to  the  name  of  Constantine.  At  heart  he  was 
as  wicked,  vile  and  corrupt  as  the  devil  wanted  him  to 
be.  These  Romans  were  simply  "  educated  barbarians," 
nothing  more.  The  Moslems  have  held  this  city  since 
1453. 

We  find  three  principle  divisions  of  the  city  as  fol- 
lows :  Old  Byzantium  on  the  south  side  of  the  Golden 
Horn  and  on  the  west  side  of  the  Bosphorus ;  modern 
Constantinople  on  the  same  side  of  the  Bosphorus,  and  on 
the  north  side  of  the  Golden  Horn,  while  Scutari  and 
Chalcedon  are  on  the  east  or  opposite  side  of  Bosphorus. 
The  city  extends  down  the  Bosphorus  by  a  coalescing 
of  villages  on  both  sides  for  sixteen  miles.  The  build- 
ings extend  from  near  the  water's  edge,  rising  one 
above  another  terrace  fashion,  in  many  places  to  the 
tops  of  the  range  of  hills  which  extend  down  each  side 
of  the  Bosphorus,  from  the  Sea  of  Marmara  to  the 
Black  Sea. 

The  magnificent  pajaces  of  former  sultans  are  built 
on  and  ornament  both  sides  of  the  Bosphorus,  which 
varies  in  width  from  six  hundred  yards  to  one  and  a 
half  miles  wide. 

It  is  a  custom  if  not  a  law  in  Turkey,  when  a  sultan 
dies  to  close  his  palace  and  give  it  up  to  his  surviving 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  657 

wives  and  concubines, who  are  never  allowed  to  leave  the 
grounds  or  to  marry  again,  being  maintained  at  the 
expense  of  the  government.  The  deceased  sultan's 
successor  in  office  has  the  right  to  bestow  the  hand  of 
one  of  the  widowed  sultanas  in  marriage  or  concubin- 
age to  whom  he  pleases;  but  even  this,  I  was  told,  was 
not  often  done,  as  they  are  regarded  as  a  sacred  trust. 
With  the  great  masses  of  this  people  the  wife  or  the 
concubine  of  a  sultan  or  khedive  is  about  the  only 
position  a  woman  can  fill  in  which  she  is  treated  with 
any  consideration  whatever. 

If  the  estimation  in  which  women  are  held,  and  the 
treatment  they  receive  at  the  hands  of  men  be  an  index 
of  the  civilization  of  a  country,  or  people,  and  I  believe 
it  is  so  regarded,  the  Turks  and  Arabs  surely  are  not 
entitled  to  a  grade  above  semi-barbarism. 

The  old  city  of  Byzantium  is  in  a  dilapidated  con- 
dition. Many  of  its  buildings  are  wooden,  and  I  saw  a 
great  many  of  them  that  had  to  be  propped  up  to  keep 
them  from  falling  down.  The  Jewish  quarters  are  in  a 
miserable  plight.  The  streets  are  just  wide  enough  to 
drive  a  carriage  through  and  are  exceedingly  rough 
and  filthy.  In  fact,  this  part  of  the  old  city  seems  to 
be  shunned  by  even  the  dogs,  as  we  saw  fewer  of  them 
there  than  elsewhere. 

When  in  this  part  of  the  old  city  we  visited  the  old 
horse  market  on  the  old  Stamboul  side ;  at  one  end  was 
a  mosque  containing  the  tombs  of  the  sultans,  and  a 
column  dating  back  to  the  days  of  Constantine,  which 
has  been  burnt  so  often  by  the  numerous  fires  which 
have  occurred  in  its  immediate  vicinity  as  to  be  now 
called  the  "  burnt  column." 

Gibbon  says :  "  It  was  erected  on  a  pedestal  of  white 


658  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

marble  twenty  feet  high  and  was  composed  of  ten 
pieces  of  porphyry,  each  of  which  measured 
ten  feet  in  height  and  about  ten  feet  in  diam- 
eter;  on  the  summit  of  which,  one  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  above  ground,  stood  the  colossal  statue  of 
Apollo.  This  statue  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  work 
of  the  celebrated  Grecian  sculptor,  Phidias,  and  was 
brought  from  Athens  or  Phrygia.  The  artist  had 
represented  the  god  of  day,  or,  as  it  was  afterwards 
interpreted,  the  emperor  Constantino  himself,  with  a 
scepter  in  his  right  hand  and  the  globe  of  the  world  in 
his  left.  On  his  head  was  a  crown  of  glittering  rays." 

The  old  column  now  looks  as  ragged  and  dilapidated 
as  an  old  American  drunkard.  It  reminded  me  of  some 
I  have  seen  in  this,  my  '  own  whisky-cursed  country,  a 
curse  of  the  people's  own  making. 

The  circus  or  hippodrome,  which  was  erected  by 
Constantine,  was  four  hundred  yards  in  length  and  one 
hundred  in  width,  a  stately  edifice  when  first  erected , 
the  space  between  the  goals  being  filled  with  statues 
and  obelisks.  One  very  singular,  and  I  may  say  historic, 
fragment  of  antiquity  still  remains  to  be  seen  in  this 
locality. 

It  is  a  bronze  column  composed  of  the  bodies  of  three 
serpents  intertwined.  It  was  made  of  bronze  captured 
by  the  Greeks  from  the  Persians  at  Marathon,  where 
the  Athenians  gained  a  very  decided  victory  over  a 
largely  superior  force  of  invading  Persians. 

The  triple  heads  of  the  serpents  once  held  the  golden 
tripod.  This  serpentine  column  was  first  erected 
at  Delphi,  but  when  Constantine  was  enlarging  and 
beautifying  the  city  of  Byzantium  it'  was  removed  to 
its  present  locality.  The  hills  on  the  opposite  side  of 


FREIGHT  BEARER. 


AND   THE    HOLT    LAND.  659 

the  Golden  Horn,  where  the  modern  portion  of  the 
city  is  built,  are  ascended  from  the  Horn  by  means  of 
an  underground  railroad  one  thousand  yards  long. 

The  Golden  Horn  is  a  magnificent  harbor  for  all 
medium-sized  vessels ;  it  is  spanned  by  several  rudely 
constructed  wooden  bridges. 

"While  in  Byzantium  we  visited  a  museum  in  which 
were  exhibited  wax  figures  representing  the  costumes 
of  the  rulers  of  Turkey  from  its  earliest  historical 
period.  The  leading  features  of  the  prevailing  cos- 
tumes of  the  present  day  have  been  preserved,  but 
gradually  modified  from  that  ancient  period  to  the 
present  time. 

Its  exaggerated  and  grotesque  features,  such  as  a  tur- 
ban six  feet  in  diameter,  and  other  peculiarities  of  gar- 
ments equally  as  ludicrous,  have  been  slowly  but  grad- 
ually brought  to  the  more  reasonable  dimensions  now 
in  use. 

It  seems  strange  to  an  American  to  be  driving 
through  the  streets  of  a  city  with  a  population  of  not 
less  than  one  million  and  never  meet,  or  see,  a  dray, 
express  wagon,  baggage  wagon,  omnibus,  or  any  kind 
of  wheeled  vehicle  for  handling  the  innumerable 
articles  of  commerce  incident  to  the  trade  of  such  a 
city.  All  this  is  done,  however,  by  a  numerous  class 
of  burden  bearers.  These  men  have  a  peculiarly  shaped 
pad  or  saddle  which  is  adjusted  to  fit  the  back,  and 
goods,  groceries  and  burdens  of  all  kinds  are  carried 
either  on  their  backs  or  suspended  beneath  long  poles 
placed  on  the  shoulders  of  the  men.  "We  also  note  the 
absence  of  donkeys  and  camels  on  the  streets.  This  is 
the  only  oriental  city  we  have  visited  where  they  were 
not  a  prominent  and  peculiar  characteristic.  This 


660  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

omission,  however,  is  fully  compensated  for  by  swell- 
ing the  population  of  this  cosmopolitan  city,  by  grant- 
ing special  rights  and  privileges  to  a  larger  class  of  its 
otherwise  useless  citizens  than  can  be  found  in  any 
other  city  in  the  known  world.  I  mean  the  dogs.  I 
would  put  the  population  of  Constantinople  proper  at 
one  million.  Of  this,  or  over  and  above  this,  if  you 
please,  I  do  not  think  I  exaggerate  in  saying  that  there 
are  thirty-three  thousand  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
three  and  a-third  dogs. 

I  am  told  that  the  dogs  constitute  a  large  element  of 
society  in  Chinese  cities.  But  this  becomes  commenda- 
ble, so  long  as  they  constitute  an  element  of  diet.  The 
Chinee  fattens  his  dog,  and  then  eats  him,  as  we  do 
hogs,  sheep  and  other  animals.  There  is  some  sense 
and  taste  in  this.  We  have  the  sense  and  the  China- 
man has  the  taste.  But  where  the  love  of  the  Turk  for 
the  dog  comes  in  I  never  could  determine,  unless  it  be 
from  a  similarity  of  nature.  It  evidently  is  not  in  vari- 
ety, for  of  the  thirty-three  thousand  three  hundred 
and  thirty-three  and  a-third  dogs,  more  or  less,  in  this 
far-famed  city,  you  can't  find  a  pointer,  a  setter,  a  St. 
Bernard,  a  hound,  a  terrier,  a  skye,  or  a  collie.  No, 
not  even  a  childless  wife's  detestable  substitute  for  the 
ever  coveted  baby,  the  poodle.  The  whole  dog  popu- 
lation comprises  a  sameness  that  is  really  monotonous. 
They  all  wear  very  nearly  the  same  mouse-colored 
garments.  The  caudal  appendix,  like  the  Chinese  cue, 
varies  but  little  in  length,  color  or  curl.  All  have  the 
same  sinister,  downcast  expression  of  countenance. 
This,  however,  is  in  part  due  to  the  manner  in  which 
they  are  raised.  Any- way,  they  are  all  so  much  alike 
that  you  would  take  them  to  be  twins. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  601 

Whether  some  of  our  American  parents  learned  an 
item  of  economy  in  raising  their  boys  from  the  Turk, 
or  the  Turk  from  the  American  parent,  I  am  unable 
to  say.  I  recognize  in  them  a  very  striking  analogy, 
however.  Both,  i.  e.,  the  boys  and  the  dogs,  make 
their  homes  upon  the  streets.  Neither  have  any 
authority  exercised  over  them.  Both  become  grown 
soon  after  they  are  weaned ;  both  engage  in  midnight 
revels  and  howls ;  both  are  an  expense  rather  than  a 
profit  to  the  world.  The  morals  of  both  are  bad,  but 
there  is  this  difference,  however:  the  one  never 
becomes  a  drunkard,  a  gambler  or  a  dude.  The 
other  very  often  does.  The  one  is  what  he  is  by  the 
unalterable  instincts  of  his  nature,  aided  by  bad  rais- 
ing. The  other  is  what  he  is  by  being  practically 
orphaned  from  childhood;  in  fact,  not  infrequently 
from  infancy. 


TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 


CHAPTER  XXVL— CONTINUED. 

Laying  truth  in  the  garb  of  jesting  aside,  what 
reason  the  Turks  have  for  fostering  such  a  nuisance  in 
their  midst  is  a  mystery  to  the  civilized  world.  They 
punish  by  fine  any  one  who  kills  or  injures  a  dog ;  and 
if  one  gets  sick  or  wounded  it  is  sent  to  the  canine 
hospital  where  it  is  nursed  and  cared  for  until  it  is  well 
enough  to  be  turned  loose  upon  the  community  again. 
These  dogs  claim  as  their  home,  and  live  in  certain 
streets,  and  woe  be  to  the  dog  who  trespasses  upon 
their  territory.  It  is  no  unusual  sight  to  see  twenty  or 
more  of  these  vagabond  curs  chasing  a  stranger  dog 
back  to  his  own  ward.  Nor  is  it  any  unusual  thing 
for  a  stranger  to  stop  on  the  street  and  count  as  many 
as  twenty-five  or  thirty  or  even  more  of  these  curs  in 
sight. 

They  seem  to  have  some  kind  of  organized  social 
clubs,  as  you  find  them  in  companies,  usually  at  the 
street  crossings.  So  much  for  this  element  of  Con- 
stantinople's society.  I  must  tell  you  something  about 
a  few  noted  Mohammedan  mosques  and  other  cele- 
brated ancient  buildings  and  places  to  be  found  here. 

One  of  the  finest  as  well  as  most  spacious  mosques 
in  Constantinople  is  the  St.  Sophia.  It  is  situated  on 
the  most  easterly  of  the  seven  hills  upon  which  the  old 
city  was  built.  This  mosque  ranks  as  perhaps  the  fin- 
est example  of  the  Byzantine  style  of  architecture  to 
be  seen.  If  not  built  by  Constantine  it  was  by  him 
converted  into  a  Christian  church.  Since  the  occupa- 

.     •  662 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  663 

tion  of  Constantinople  by  the  Turks,  that  is  since  1453, 
it  has  been  converted  into  a  mosque. 

'  When  one  enters  this  mosque  he  can  not  but  be 
impressed  by  the  bold  span  of  arches  and  the  still 
bolder  sweep  of  the  dome.  At  the  same  time  he  is 
at  once  bewildered  and  charmed  by  the  richness  and 
beauty  of  the  decorations,  from  the  many  colored  pil- 
lars down  to  the  rich  mosaics  and  inscriptions  which 
cover  its  walls.  The  dome  is  raised  at  the  center  one 
hundred  and  eighty  feet  above  the  ground  and  has  a 
diameter  of  one  hundred  and  seven  feet.  The  curve 
of  the  dome  is  slight,  its  depth  being  only  forty-six 
feet.  Around  the  rim  of  the  dome  is  a  row  of  forty 
windows." 

Constantinople  proper  has  six  hundred  mosques. 
But  the  city  and  villages  contiguous,  between  eight 
and  nine  hundred.  The  present  Sultan's  palace  is  loca- 
ted something  over  a  mile  from  the  Golden  Horn  down 
the  Bosphorus.  The  palace  and  grounds  are  sur- 
rounded by  a  strong  stone  wall.  The  palace  is  large 
and  of  beautiful  architectural  design.  It  stands  in  the 
midst  of  an  extensive  park  handsomely  laid  out  and 
decorated  with  ornamental  trees,  flowers  and  shubbery. 

If  woman  be  man's  ministering  angel  and  if  the 
society  of  angels  comprises  his  happiness,  the  Sultan 
ought  to  be  that  earthly  anomaly,  i.  e.,  a  truly 
happy  man.  For  he  has  four  hundred  and  four  of 
these  ministering  angels  in  his  palace  whose  sole  aim 
and  object  in  life  is,  or  should  be,  to  promote  his  happi- 
ness. If  one  or  more  should  at  any  time  become 
refractory  or  breed  discontent  in  the  hive,  the  Sultan 
can  either  trade  her  .off  as  second-hand  furniture  or 
he  may  dispose  of  her  as  he  has  done  his  brother,  the 


664  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

rightful  Sultan  of  Turkey,  whom  he  has  confined  in 
prison  surrounded  by  a  strong  guard  for  the  last  fifteen 
years. 

The  Sultan  goes  out  to  some  one  of  the  mosques  in 
Constantinople  every  Friday  to  say  his  prayers,  at 
which  time  he  has  from  two  to  ten  thousand  soldiers  who 
act  as  bodyguard  and  escort  his  sacred  person  to  and 
from  the  selected  place  of  worship.  Upon  each  of 
these  occasions  a  new  rug  is  provided  upon  which  he 
kneels  while  offering  up  his  devotions  to  Allah.  They 
use  these  rugs  to  prevent  wearing  out  the  knees  of 
their  pants,  I  imagine.  After  the  Sultan  has  once  used 
a  rug  it  is  then  taken  and  sold,  and  I  was  informed  that 
exorbitant  prices  were  frequently  paid  for  them  by 
wealthy  Moslems.  When  we  were  in  the  city,  permis- 
sion was  given  a  limited  number  of  our  compaDy  to 
visit  the  palace  on  Friday,  when  the  Sultan  came  forth 
to  start  for  the  mosque.  Being  Americans,  we  preferred 
that  our  ladies  should  fill  this  post  of  honor,  which 
they  did.  The  greater  part  of  the  company,  however, 
were  given  good  positions  for  seeing  all  that  was  to  be 
seen  on  such  an  occasion.  There  was,  aside  from  the 
soldiery,  an  immense  concourse  of  people  present, 
every  [available  space  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  pal- 
ace and  mosque  being  occupied. 

The  infantry  formed  a  double  line  on  each  side  of 
the  street  four  feet  deep,  leaving  a  carriage-way 
between  them  leading  to  the  mosque.  This  double 
line  of  soldiery  extended  from  the  palace  gate  to  the 
door  of  the  mosque.  Besides  this  there  was  some- 
where between  seven  and  ten  acres  of  a  vacant  lot  in 
the  rear  of  the  mosaue  covered  as  closely  as  could  be 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  665 

packed  with  cavalry.  I  suppose  this  cavalry  force 
was  held  in  reserve  to  be  used  in  case  of  need. 

Header,  you  ask  me  why  all  this  turnout  of  soldiers 
and  what  danger  threatened  the  Sultan  to  render  this 
precaution  necessary  ?  In  answer  to  this  I  will  say  I 
asked  the  same  question,  but  I  found  no  one  to  answer 
it.  It  may  be  that  the  personal  friends  of  his  brother 
or  enemies  of  the  government  have  talked  too  freely 
or  perhaps  threats  of  assassination  may  have  been 
made  or  something  of  the  kind  which,  to  prevent 
surprise,  renders  it  necessary  that  such  precautions  be 
taken.  Of  this,  however,  I  know  nothing. 

The  Sultan  is  an  ordinary  looking,  dark-com- 
plexioned Turk;  as  far  as  I  could  judge,  of  medium 
size.  They  wear  such  loose,  baggy  clothes  that  the 
size  or  weight  of  a  man  is  a  hard  matter  to  determine. 

As  I  have  before  stated,  Scutari,  anciently  called 
Crysopolis,  lies  on  the  east  or  opposite  side  of  the 
Bosphorus  from  Constantinople,  Chalcedon  being 
opposite.  Byzantium,  or  the  oldest  portion  of  the  city 
of  Constantinople,  is  regarded  as  a  suburb  of  the 
city.  Its  population  is  estimated  at  about  sixty  thou- 
sand. "It  is  a  manufacturing  city,  the  inhabitants 
being  largely  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  saddlery, 
silk,  muslin  and  cotton  goods.  It  contains  also 
granaries  and  is  prized  as  a  fruit  market,  especially 
for  grapes,  lemons  and  figs. 

Out  in  the  bay  opposite  Scutari,  on  a  rock  which 
scarcely  rises  above  the  water  and  but  a  short  distance 
from  shore,  rises  a  white  tower  ninety  feet  in  height.  It 
is  called  "  Leander's  tower."  The  Turks  call  it  the 
"  Maiden's  tower."  It  is  now  used  as  a  light-house. 

The  streets  of  Scutari  are  not  as  narrow  as  in  the 


666  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

same  parts  of  the  old  city,  but  they  are  extremely  rough 
and  uneven.  What  few  hacks  they  have  are  old,  badly 
worn,  one-horse  affairs,  really  unfit  for  use,  and  I  don't 
suppose  would  be  used  by  any  other  people. 

With  others  of  our  company  I  went  over  to  Scutari 
one  afternoon  to  witness  the  worship  of  the  howling 
dervishes.  This  order  of  dervishes  have  a  mosque  in 
that  city.  The  mosque  is  a  small,  unpretending  build- 
ing, and,  like  all  the  houses  in  that  old  city,  devoid  of 
architectural  style  or  finish.  The  interior  is  arranged 
with  a  central  arena  some  twenty  feet  in  diameter, 
which  is  separated  by  a  balustrade  from  a  gallery 
which  is  some  six  feet  wide  and  raised  two  feet  above 
the  floor  of  the  central  arena,  and  extending  around  the 
walls  of  the  building.  Visitors,  for  a  consideration,  are 
allowed  seats  in  the  gallery  during  their  hours  of  wor- 
ship. 

Like  the  dervishes  I  saw  on  the  mountain  of  Baalbec, 
they  have  a  head  man  or  sheik  who  directs  the  order  of 
worship  and  for  whom  they  seem  to  have  great  rever- 
ence. The  evening  we  were  there  the  gallery  was 
crowded  with  Europeans  beside  our  little  company  of 
Americans.  The  order  of  worship  of  these  dervishes 
was  somewhat  similar  to  those  I  had  seen.  The  service, 
however,  was  entered  into  and  carried  out  with  a  great 
deal  more  zeal  and  vim.  I  soon  comprehended  why 
this  was  the.case,  however.  The  sheik  on  the  mountain* 
had  a  lot  of  new  recruits  and  these  were  old  veterans. 

Keader,  you  know  one  old,  experienced  shouter  at  a 
meeting  can  make  more  noise  and  shout  more  artistic- 
ally and  more  elaborately  and  really  make  a  better 
job  of  it  than  half  a  dozen  new  beginners.  Now  I 
don't  want  the  reader  to  think  I  am  making  fun  of 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAM).  667 

people  for  shouting,  far  from  it,  I  believe  in  it  with  all 
my  heart.  If  any  one  gets  so  full  of  love  to  God  that 
they  run  over,  I  had  much  rather  see  them  open  the 
safety-valve  and  give  vent  to  their  feelings  than  to  hold 
it  down  till  the  boiler  bursts. 

These  dervishes  sat  around  on  sheep-skins  in  a  semi- 
circle. They  used  the  same  kind  of  musical  instru- 
ments. Some  chanted,  others  beat  time.  The  old 
sheik  was  seated  on  the  floor  at  the  opposite  end  of  the 
room  with  a  pot  of  incense  burning  in  front  of  him. 
Before  the  brethren  took  their  seats  they  went  sepa- 
rately to  the  sheik  and  whispered  something  to  him  and 
then  kissed  his  hand.  He  said  something  to  them  in 
return,  which  I  interpreted  to  be  a  Blessing.  All  then 
took  their  seats  and  the  racket  began.  The  leader  of 
the  chant  was  a  light-colored,  heavy-set,  hard-faced 
old  man  with  a  strong  frame  and  a  stronger  voice.  He 
would  have  made  a  bully  hand  at  a  negro  meeting.  As 
a  rule,  I  believe  the  colored  people  think  the  more 
noise  a  member  of  their  church  makes,  i.  <?.,  the  louder 
one  halloos  and  the  longer  it  is  kept  up  before  going 
into  a  trance,  during  which  they  make  a  tour  of  the 
infernal  regions,  hang  by  a  spider's  web  and  cook  for 
the  devil,  see  wonderful  sights  and  hear  awful  noises, 
etc.,  this  class  of  worshipers  they  regard  as  their 
most  devout  and  pious  members. 

Now,  reader,  don't  think  I  have  just  made  up  the 
above  story  for  the  occasion,  for  I  have  penned  it  just 
as  it  is  related  to  me  by  a  colored  woman  now  in  our 
employ. 

Among  the  seated  membership  of  the  dervishes  were 
two  little  boys,  one  of  them  about  six  or  seven  years 
old,  the  other  a  year  or  so  older.  During  this  part  of 


668  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

the  performance,  unlike  the  Baalbec  dervish,  they  kept 
up  a  regular  uniform  swaying  of  the  body  backwards 
and  forwards  while  chanting  and  beating  their  drums 
and  timbrels. 

As  the  chant  proceeded,  the  music  grew  faster  and 
faster  and  louder  and  louder,  dwelling  longer  and  yet 
longer  on  certain  words  until  it  became  a  perfect  howl 
indeed. 

It  is  said  one  wolf  can  do  more  howling  than  half 
a  dozen  dogs,  and  that  is  true.  My  father  emigrated 
to  Texas  in  the  fall  of  1836,  when  1  was  a  lad  (called 
"kids "now),  and  lean  remember  when  the  wolves 
gave  us  nightly  concerts.  To  hear  them  one  who 
didn't  know  bettel-  would  think  the  woods  were  as  full 
of  wolves  as  Constantinople  is  of  dogs.  But  one  wolf 
can  do  the  howling  for  three  or  four  when  he  gets  lone- 
some. 

There  was  a  long,  lean,  raw-boned  African,  as  black 
as  midnight,  among  these  brethren,  that  I  think  could 
hold  his  hand  with  any  ordinary  wolf  when  it  came  to 
scientific  howling.  The  wolf  could  perhaps  get  away 
with  him  on  the  high,  tremulous  notes,  but  when  it 
came  to  the  lion-roaring  bass,  my  favorite  dervish  could 
put  him  to  open  shame. 

After  this  mode  of  worshiping  Allah  had  been 
going  on  for  twenty  minutes,  I  suppose,  a  little  girl  of 
some  seven  or  eight  summers  came  in  and  commenced 
spinning  around  like  a  top,  every  few  rounds  crying 
out  "  Allah. "  This  was  kept  up  by  the  child  for 
nearly  an  hour  without  interruption.  At  the  same 
time  the  chanters  and  time-beaters  were  carrying  on 
their  part  of  the  solemn  warship  with  an  energy  and 
perseverance  commendable  in  any  character  of  enter- 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  669 

prise.  The  programme  was  changed  finally,  however. 
The  sheep-skins  were  taken  up,  the  unmusical  instru- 
ments removed,  and  turbans  exchanged  for  close-fitting 
white  skull-caps.  The  worshipers  then  arranged 
themselves,  standing  in  a  semi-circle  around  the  arena, 
with  their  backs  to  the  audience,  all  facing  the  sheik, 
who  all  this  while  had  never  changed  his  position. 

One  old  man  now  led  off,  all  the  others  following 
suit,  by  swaying  their  bodies  back  and  forth,  crying: 
"Allah,  Allah,  Allah,  Allah,  Allah,  Allah."  This  was 
kept  up  until  nature  became  exhausted.  On  this  four- 
mile  heat  my  African  friend  proved  his  powers  of 
endurance  to  be  superior  to  even  the  raving  Arab.  He 
spelled  the  whole  class  down.  It  made  him  sweat  like 
a  tar  kiln,  however,  before  some  of  the  old  veterans 
threw  up  the  sponge. 

Now,  my  brother,  on  the  square,  what  do  you  think 
of  your  "  Palm  and  Shell "  degree,  for  which  you  paid 
five  dollars  ?  It  came  from  these  Arab  and  negro  der- 
vishes, you  know. 

Making  wooden  sandals,  baskets,  slippers,  silverware, 
embroidery,  articles  of  brass,  costly  furniture,  etc.,  etc., 
are  largely  engaged  in  by  the  inhabitants  of  Constanti- 
nople. I  bought  some  articles  in  a  commodious  variety 
store  where  the  proprietor  informed  us  that  he  kept 
four  hundred  hands  making  the  articles  which  filled 
his  shelves.  Some  large  wholesale  houses  here  do  an 
extensive  business,  and  many  of  the  smaller  shops  or 
retail  houses  have  nice  storerooms  and  seem  to  be  in  a 
prosperous  condition.  By  far  the  largest  part  of  the 
trade  of  Constantinople,  however,  is  carried  on  by  for- 
eigners. 

"  Its  harbor  is  a  convenient  center  of  many  lines  of 


670  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

commerce.  Sheep's-wool,  mohair,  goafs-skins,  grain, 
etc.,  being  transshipped  from  the  coasts  of  Asia  and 
the  shores  of  the  Black  Sea." 

Beside  the  regular  steamers  of  commerce,  small  boats 
ply  between  the  city  and  the  suburbs  on  the  Horn,  the 
Bosphorus  and  the  Sea  of  Marmora. 

We  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  and  conversing  with 
two  Armenian  Baptist  preachers  who  have  been 
engaged  in  the  mission  work  in  this  Mohammedan 
country  for  five  years,  the  greater  portion  of  that  time 
in  this  "  dogged"  city.  Fruits  of  their  labors,  ten  male 
converts,  two  females.  These  twelve  converts  were 
not  converted  from  the  ranks  of  Mohammedanism, 
however.  One  of  these  ministers  informed  me  that  he 
had  a  mission  church  at  Botheuia,  a  small  place  about 
a  day's  ride  from  the  city,  where,  all  told,  he  had  a  mem- 
bership of  fifteen  or  seventeen,  nor  were  these  Moham- 
medan converts.  The  Mohammedan  thinks  he  has  the 
only  true  religion,  and  he  clings  to  it  like  a  sticking- 
plaster.  The  truth  is,  the  Moslem  who  embraces  any 
other  faith  is  rarely,  if  ever,  actuated  by  sincere  convic- 
tions or  conscientious  motives.  On  the  contrary,  the 
love  of  gain  being  the  ruling  passion  of  their  lives,  they 
hope  to  excite  the  sympathy  of  tourists  and  Christian 
travelers  and  be  more  successful  in  drawing  from  their 
pockets  the  ever-coveted  backshee  by  such  professions. 

The  natural  drainage  of  this  city  is  good,  the  cli- 
mate pleasant,  and  it  is  said  to  be  healthy.  Taking  it 
all  in  all,  it  would  be  a  pleasant  place  to  live  if  the 
Turks  and  dogs  could  be  gotten  rid  of.  Since  our  stay 
here  we  hav  been  driven  over  the  principal  streets 
and  through  the  old  and  portions  of  the  new  city.  The 
novelty  of  the  sights  and  scenes,  and  the  primitive 


AND   THE   HOLY   LAND.  671 

habits  and  way  of  doing  things  by  these  non-pro- 
gressive people  have  interested  us  much  and  rendered 
our  sojourn  here  pleasant  indeed. 

It  is  true,  the  dogs  are  a  great  nuisance  both  day  and 
night.  During  the  day  they  take  possession  of  the 
streets  and  sidewalks;  every  one,  even  to  the  hack 
driver,  respecting  their  superior  right  of  possession  ; 
and  at  night  thev  keeo  uo  an  indescribable  uproar  at  all 
hours. 

The  view  .of  Constantinople  from  the  deck  of  a 
steamer  as  it  floats  down  the  Bosphorus  to  the  Black 
Sea  is  truly  grand.  As  before  stated,  it  is  almost  one 
continuous  city  on  both  sides  for  a  distance  of  sixteen 
miles.  Several  palaces  of  former  sultans  have  been 
located  on  the  beautiful  slopes  which  lie  on  either  side 
of  it.  Where  the  villages  do  not  extend  to  the  sum- 
mit of  the  hills  the  luxuriant  foliage  which  crowns 
them  makes  a  charming  background  and  enhances  the 
beauty  of  the  scene.  As  we  go  through  this  strait  we 
pass  between  the  two  new  castles  of  Europe  and  Asia 
which  are  constructed  upon  the  foundations  of  two 
celebrated  temples  of  former  times,  one  of  Serapis  and 
the  other  of  Urius. 

These  castles,  erected  by  the  Greek  emperors,  com- 
mand the  narrowest  part  of  the  channel  in  a  place 
where  the  opposite  banks  approach  within  five  or  six 
hundred  yards  of  each  other.  Soon  we  take.a  farewell 
look  at  the  old  city,  whose  history  is  long  and  intri- 
cate, and  pass  into  the  Black  Sea,  our  steamer  being 
headed  for  Varna,  on  the  coast  of  Bulgaria,  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  distant,  from  which  point  we 
take  train  to  Kustchuk  on  the  Danube. 


672  TBAVELS  IN  EGYPT 

VARNA. 

Varna  is  an  unimportant  town  on  the  western  coast 
of  the  Black  Sea  and  on  the  eastern  border  of  Bulgaria. 
While  there  is  nothing  to  interest  the  tourist  in  the 
town  itself,  yet  its  being  inhabited  in  the  main  by  the 
Bulgarians,  a  Slavonic  people,  we  notice  an  improve- 
ment in  the  manners,  customs,  etc.,  from  the  people 
whom  we  have  left  behind  us. 

This  little  town  is  one  of  the  great  shipping  ports  of 
Bulgaria.  Deep  water  reaches  up  near  -the  shore  and 
large  vessels  can  approach  near  enough  to  materially 
lessen  the  expense  of  taking  on  their  cargoes.  We 
learned  that  immense  quantities  of  grain,  hides 
and  other  products  were  shipped  from  this  port.  I 
could  but  notice,  however,  the  disadvantages  under 
which  they  continued  to  labor  in  the  manner  of  load- 
ing vessels.  The  cereal,  being  transferred  from  the 
granaries  to  the  steamers  in  barges,  was  then  put  on 
board  the  steamers  by  being  filled  into  baskets,  which 
the  laborers  from  the  barge  with  peculiar  dexterity 
tossed  up  to  others  on  the  steamer.  These  in  turn 
were  emptied  and  the  baskets  thrown  back.  It  is  true, 
it  was  a  pretty  example  of  perpetual  motion,  as  the 
rapidity  and  regularity  which  characterized  the  per- 
formance not  only  rendered,  it  interesting  to  witness, 
but  secured  the  transfer  of  large  quantities  of  grain  in 
about  as  short  a  space  of  time  as  could  be  done  by 
manual  labor,  to  the  exclusion  of  machinery  and  prop- 
erly arranged  conveniences. 

I  could  see  no  reason  for  calling  this  sea  the  Black 
Sea.  Its  water  has  the  same  appearance  as  other  sea 
water  and  the  lands  surrounding  it  are  for  the  most 
part  red,  sandy  and  gravelly  soil. 


AND  THE    HOLY    LAND.  673 

From  Yarna  to  Rustchuk  one  passes  over  a  very 
pretty  undulating  section  of  country  in  a  high  state  of 
cultivation.  We  notice  here,  too,  an  absence  of  fences 
and  farmhouses.  The  farmers  live  in  pretty  villages 
well  laid  out  with  streets,  small  parks,  etc.  The 
whole  face  of  the  country  has  a  neat,  thrifty  appear- 
ance. The  extensive  wheat  fields  are  dotted  with  large*, 
flourishing  apple  and  other  fruit  trees,  planted  about  a 
hundred  yards  apart,  extending  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach. 

Occasionally  we  pass  small  herds  of  cattle.  They  all 
seemed  to  be  of  one  breed  and  color.  They  were 
handsome,  mouse-colored  cattle,  of  good  size  and  in 
fine  condition.  Now  and  then  we  saw  a  few  buffalo 
cattle,  and  were  informed  that  the  different  breeds 
remained  separate  even  when  herded  together. 

We  could  not  boast  of  making  fast  time  from  Yarna 
to  Rustchuk,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  forty 
miles,  yet  the  ride  was  neither  wearisome  or  devoid  of 
interest,  as  we  were  crossing  a  pretty  country.  At 
one  point  we  ran  alongside  a  country  road  for  several 
miles.  Here  we  saw  a  couple  of  the  wagons  used  by 
these  people.  They  are  rough,  and  cumbersome.  The 
wheels  are  rimmed  with  heavy  wooden  felloes  and  are 
destitute  of  tires.  The  sides  of  the  wagon-beds  are 
held  in  place  by  bowed  braces,  which  have  one  end 
attached  to  the  outer  side  of  the  wagon-bed,  near  the 
top.  The  brace  then  bows  outward  and  downward 
over  the  wheel,  and  the  point  of  the  "spindle  passed 
through  a  hole  made  in  the  lower  end  of  the  brace  and 
secured  in  position  by  a  linch-pin  on  the  outer  side  of  it. 

We  saw  several  of  these  wagons  at  this  time.  They 
were  drawn  by  one  yoke  of  oxen,  not  driven,  but  led. 


674  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

A  rope  being  put  around  the  horns  of  each,  the  oxen 
was  held  in  the  hand,  not  of  the  driver,  but  leader, 
who  walked  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  in  front  of  the 
team.  We  are  continually  being  reminded  that  there 
is  more  than  one  way  of  doing  things. 

We  arrived  at  the  depot,  which  is  nearly  a  mile  dis- 
tant from  Rustchuk,  about  four  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, and  learn  that  we  have  to  remain  here  until 
about  noon  to-morrow,  before  we  can  get  a  steamer 
ascending  the  river. 

RUSTCHUK. 

Now  that  is  a  name  for  you.  I  have  no  idea  what 
it  means.  I  know,  however,  that  it  has  a  population 
of  about  twenty-five  thousand,  comprising  Bulgarians, 
Turks,  Armenians,  Gypsies,  Jews,  Walachians,  Serbs 
and  western  Europeans. 

It  is  an  old  city  of  Turkey  in  Europe  situated  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Danube.  •  On  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river,  in  Roumania,  in  full  view  of  the  city,  is 
Giurgevo,  from  which  point  the  Russians  bombarded 
this  place  in  18Y7.  The  city  has  no  attractions.  Its 
houses  are  built  of  wood  and  stone  and  very  plain. 
The  streets  are  rough  and,  upon  the  whole,  the  place 
is  uninviting  and  devoid  of  interest.  It  appears  as  if 
it  had  never  recovered  from  the  wounds  inflicted  by 
the  Russians  during  its  bombardment. 

At  least  one-third  of  the  men  we  meet  are  either 
policemen,  government  officials,  or  military  officers. 
I  have  never  seen  as  large  a  proportion  of  the  inhab. 
itants  of  a  city  uniformed  as  we  find  here.  Some  of 
these  brass-buttoned  fellows  are  custom-house  officers 
who  pried  into  and  scrutinized  our  baggage  very  criti- 
cally. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  675 

There  had  been  a  wedding  in  town  the  evening  we 
reached  there.  The  young  couple  must  have  been 
very  popular,  or  weddings  were  rare  occurrences,  as  it 
seemed  to  be  a  general  gala  day  for  the  people. 
Everybody  had  on  his  best  clothes.  Bands  of  music 
were  out  and  everybody  appeared  happy. 

Our  supper  was  served  on  the  lawn  adjoining  the 
hotel,  where  several  long  tables  were  spread  to 
accommodate  the  bridal  party.  The  style  of  dress 
here  is  very  similar  to  the  European  style,  and  these 
Bulgarians  seem  to  be  a  very  clever  and  social  as  well 
as  an  enterprising  people. 

The  scenery  up'the  Danube,  although  differing  from 
any  we  had  seen  on  our  travels  up  to  that  time,  was 
not  peculiarly  striking  or  in  any  way  remarkable  until 
we  reached  the  rapids,  or  the  Iron  Gate,  as  it  is  called. 
We  pass  many  beautiful  towns,  some- near  the  river, 
others  back  on  the  high  hills  which  border  the  river 
valley. 

In  one  of  these  towns  containing  ten  thousand  inhab- 
itants, I  observed  a  curious  custom  prevailing  among 
the  merchants.  On  the  front  of  the  stores  were  painted 
the  numerous  articles  they  had  within.  I  also  noticed 
a  combination  plow.  It  was  triangular  like  our  sweeps-, 
but  each  point  or  wing  of  the  triangle  was  a  turning 
plow.  It  was  intended  to  be  used  in  turning  over 
rough  or  sod  lands.  An  immense  commerce  is  carried 
over  this  water  route.  We  are  meeting  many  steamers, 
and  passing  others  having  one  or  more  laden  barges  in 
tow.  We  pass  many  mills  run  by  the  current  of  the 
river,  the  driving  wheel  being  between  two  barges 
anchored  out  on  the  current. 

This  seems  to  be  a  great  hog  and  cattle  country,  as 


676  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

you  see  large  droves  of  each  on  the  shore.  The  farmers 
here  are  now  sowing  their  spring  wheat  and  planting 
corn.  They  use  oxen  to  their  plows.  Many  of  their 
plows  have  a  wheel,  some  sixteen  or  eighteen  inches  in 
diameter,  attached  to  the  forward  end  of  the  beam. 
The  shores  of  the  river  are  lined  with  the  cottages  of 
the  fishermen.  They  float  down  in  small  boats,  using 
the  dip  net  for  a  mile  or  more,  and  then  tow  their  boats 
by  means  of  long  ropes,  one  man  on  shore  pulling  the 
rope,  and  another  in  the  boat  to  keep  it  out  in  the 
stream,  back  to  the  starting  point.  This  certainly  is  a 
hard  life  and  a  laborious  way  of  ekeing  out  a  precarious 
living  for  wife  and  children. 

The  peasants  dress  in  long,  baggy  trousers,  over 
which  the)7  wear  a  long  shirt  or  gown  reaching  to  the 
knee.  For  soirfe  distance  above  Rustchuk  the  valley 
lands  are  subject  to  inundation.  Back  of  the  valleys, 
however,  the  lands  are  high  and  rolling,  and  said  to  be 
very  productive. 

A  few  miles  above  Widen  we  pass  the  mouth  of  a 
small  river  which  empties  into  the  Danube  on  the  left. 
This  river  is  the  line  between  Bulgaria  and  Servia  at 
this  point. 

We  are  still  in  the  Orient,  and  with  us  it  is  the  14th 
day  of  May.  In  a  few  hours,  however,  we  pass  into 
Hungary,  i.  e.,  into  European  territory  at  Orsowa,  and 
then  it  will  be  the  26th  of  May.  The  Turks  count  three 
hundred  and  sixty  days  a  year ;  consequently  their 
times  and  dates  run  very  different  from  ours. 

The  abutments  of  the  bridge  which  Trajan  about  the 
beginning  of  the  second  century  threw  across  the 
Danube  when  he  invaded  Dacia  are  still*  standing. 
Also  portions  of  the  ruins  of  the  strong  fortifications 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  677 

which  he  erected  at  each  end  of  the  bridge  are  still  to 
be  seen. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  give  the  reader  a  correct  idea 
of  the  width  of  this  river.  Its  width  and  depth  vary 
so  much  in  different  places.  It  being  two  thousand 
miles  long  and  having  some  four  hundred  tributaries, 
one  would  very  naturally  conclude  that  for  some  dis- 
tance above  and  belew  Rustchuk  it  would  be  a  very 
wide  river. 

At  Rustchuk  and  for  some  distance  above,  it  approx- 
imates the  size  of  the  Missouri  river  nearer  than  any 
other  of  our  American  rivers.  Above  the  Iron  Gate  it 
dashes  into  a  narrow  channel  through  a  range  of 
mountains,  where  in  many  places  it  is  not  more  than 
three  or  four  hundred  feet  wide.  Appearances  under 
such  conditions,  however,  are  very  deceptive.  The 
mountains  through  which  this  pass  is  cut  rise  in  sublim- 
ity and  grandeur  thousands  of  feet  above  the  river  on 
each  side,  presenting  the  grandest  scenery  the  eyes  ever 
beheld. 

Every  lover  of  the  beautiful  has  read,  time  and  again 
perhaps,  the  efforts  of  the  learned  and  gifted  to 
describe  the  scenery  presented  by  the  lavish  hand  of 
Nature  for  our  admiration  on  the  banks  of  the  blue 
Danube. 

Orators  have  exhausted  language  in  its  praise. 
Foeta,  giving  full  scope  to  tho  imagination,  have  woven 
wreaths  of  immortal  song  recording  its  yet  untold 
grandeur. 

We  have  for  weeks  and  months  been  traversing 
foreign  lands  and  looking  with  wonder  and  amazement 
at  the  achievements  of  man  in  the  long  ages  past.  We 
have  climbed  to  their  giddy  heights  the  most  stupen- 


678  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

dous  monuments  ever  erected  by  human  hands.  We 
have  seen  and  admired  their  colossal  statues,  their  gran- 
ite obelisks,  their  huge  temples,  and  delicately  chiseled 
mastabas.  Yes,  we  have  looked  at  the  huge  stones  so 
nicely  adjusted  in  the  walls  surrounding  the  temple  of 
Solomon  in  the  City  of  David,  and  again  in  that  great 
Heliopolis,  at  Baalbac.  We  measured  these  immense 
stones  and  wondered  by  what  human  ingenuity  and 
power  they  were  taken  from  their  rocky  beds  and  con- 
veyed such  distances  and  placed  with  such  nicety  of 
skill  and  workmanship  at  such  elevations.  All  this  and 
more  we  have  seen,'  wondered  and  admired,  and  yet, 
when  we  look  at  these  grand  old  mountains,  heaped 
one  upon  another,  clothed  with  their  rich,  varied, 
tinted,  evergreen  garments  ;  here  a  castle,  there  a  tem- 
ple, here  a  lofty  spire,  there  a  grand  old  tower, 
untouched  by  the  hand  of  man,  all  eloquent  in  the 
grandeur  of  their  own  sublimity,  around  whose  lofty 
summits  the  storm  clouds  have  wreathed  crowns  of 
immortal  glory,  whose  rock-ribbed  sides  and  hoary 
summits  have  been  painted  in  all  the  delicate  tints  of 
the  rainbow  with  living  colors  and  shades,  varnished 
by  the  bright  rays  of  the  evening  sun,  the  work  of  the 
grand  architect  of  the  universe,  we  involuntarily 
exclaim :  "  What  is  man  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him, 
and  the  son  of  man'  that  thou  visitest  him  ? "  We 
boast  of  man's  wonderful  achievements  and  pointMvith 
commendable  pride  to  his  works  of  art  and  science. 
We  boast  of  our  culture,  of  our  statesmanship,  of  our 
morality  and  social  institutions;  many  of  us  often 
unmindful  of  the  fact  that  we  have  been  but  learning 
the  lessons  given  us  by  Him  who  sayeth:  "Without  me 
was  nothing  made." 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  679 

"  I  gave  you  that  brain  with  its  wonderful  powers, 
capacities  and  as  yet  unknown  capabilities  of  develop- 
ment of  culture.  I  implanted  the  principle  of  love  in 
your  being  from  which  spring  all  the  social  and  moral 
attributes  and  enjoyments  of  your  life.  I  commanded 
you  to  love  your  wife,  your  children,  your  friend,  your 
brother,  your  neighbor,  and  your  God  supremely,  and 
gave  you  the  capacity  and  power  to  do  it." 

God  has  never  commanded  a  creature  to  do  a  thing 
but  what  he  gave  him  the  power  and  capacity  to  do 
that  thing  and  to  do  it  as  it  ought  to  be  done.  We 
often  see  the  blind  leading  the  blind,  and  it  is  to  be 
regretted.  But  it  becomes  tenfold  more  grievous 
when  the  leader  lays  his  botch  work  on  the  Almighty 
and  says  God  told  him  or  called  him  to  do  this  or  that 
work.  It  must  be  a  bad  man  indeed  who  can  deliber- 
ately tell  an  untruth  upon  his  fellow-man,  but  he  must 
be  an  infinitely  worse  man  who  tells  a  falsehood  upon 
his  God. 

Why  should  we  boast" of  our  achievements  ?  The 
earth  and  the  sea  are  his,  for  he  made  them.  He  made 
the  needle  that  guides  the  wanderer  through  the 
mountain  fastnesses  and  the  mariner  over  these 
unknown  seas  during  the  blackness  and  darkness  of 
the  midnight  storm.  God  made  that  subtle  fluid  that 
runs  silently  at  lightning  speed  beneath  the  angry 
waves  of  the  storm-tossed  sea,  enabling  nation  to  speak 
to  nation  as  neighbor  to  neighbor.  God  made  the 
beautiful  Danube  and  laid  the  foundations  of  its  grand 
mountains,  and  painted  the  undescribed  and  indescriba- 
ble beauties  of  its  pictures  with  his  own  hand.  "  Let 
us  praise  Him  from  whom  all  blessings  flow." 

As   we  passed   out  of  the  mountain    pass    of    the 


680  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

Danube  into  a  lake,  high  up  on  a  mountain  to  our  left 
we  see  the  ruins  of  what,  during  the  feudal  days,  was 
a  grand  old  castle.  It  was  located  on  a  picturesque 
spot,  and  the  massive  ruins  of  the  castle  add  to  its 
picturesqueness  even  now. 

From  this  point  we  steamed  through  a  succession  of 
lakes  and  entered  the  Danube  above  them ;  soon  after 
which  we  reach  Bazias,  where  we  left  the  river  and 
got  aboard  a  special  train  which  landed  us  at  Buda- 
Pesth  for  breakfast. 

Reader,  after  leaving  Buda-Pesth  we  had  a  nice  run 
through  a  beautiful  country  in  a  high  sta.te  of  cultiv 
tion,   and  reached  Yienna,  the  capital  of  Austria,  at 
12:50  P.  M. 

Vienna  is  the  best  built  city  I  have  seen  either  in 
the  New  or  Old  World.  More  uniformity  and  artistic 
skill  is  displayed  in  the  construction  and  finish  of  its 
houses,  width  and  construction,  of  streets,  etc. 

The  population  is  stated  to  be  one  million  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand.  These  Austrians  are  a  hand- 
some people,  but  that  is  not  all ;  they  are  a  proud,  ener- 
getic, enterprising,  intelligent  people.  Every  acre  of 
their  country,  by  the  free  use  of  fertilizers,  which  every 
farmer  makes,  has  been  brought  up  to  its  utmost  pro- 
ducing capacity.  Even  the  mountain  sides  are  terraced 
and  made  productive,  and  the  acreage  of  the  country 
vastly  increased  thereby. 

One  of  the  peculiarities  here,  which  first  attracted  my 
attention,  was  the  manner  of  hitching  and  working 
horses  to  light  wagons.  Instead  of  using  thils  or  shafts 
they  use  the  pole  and  work  a  single  horse  to  one  side 
of  it.  The  next  thing  new  to  me,  and  which  did  my 
soul  good  after  passing  through  J  erusalem,  Damascus 


AND   THE   HOLT    LAND.  081 

and  Constantinople,  was  to  see  the  dogs  put  to  honest 
work.  All  goods,  groceries,  furniture,  etc.,  are  deliv- 
ered in  small  wagons  drawn  by  dogs.  All  marketing 
and  a  great  deal  of  farm  hauling  is  done  with  dogs 
hitched  to  little  wagons.  So  universal  is  the  custom  in 
Austria,  that  they  have  a  regular  market  for  the  pur- 
chase and  sale  of  dogs  the  same  as  for  horses. 

Th'e  prices  range  from  eight  to  twenty  dollars,  owing 
+o  size,  age  and  training.  Dogs  are  taxed  here  as  other 
property,  and  that  I  suppose  in  one  reason  their  owners 
put  them  to  work.  I  thought  it  sensible,  just  and  right. 
"*Our  party,  by  invitation,  took  tea  and  spent  several 
hours  with  Minister  Grant  and  lady,  who  treated  us 
with  that  courtesy  and  cordiality  so  characteristic  of 
Americans.  When  Americans  meet  in  foreign  lands 
they  have  a  kindred  feeling  for  each  other  and  are 
mutually  drawn  together.  They  meet,  not  as  stran- 
gers, but  as  members  of  the  same  great  national  house- 
hold. 

A  small  river,  Wien,  empties  here  into  the  Danube, 
and  as  the  city  is  near  the  junction  its  German  name 
is  Wien,  and  it  is  known  here  only  by  that  name,  or 
perhaps,  I  should  say,  commercially,  the  name  Wien  is 
used  in  preference  to  Yienna. 

We  visited  while  here  many  places  of  interest  to  the 
American.  The  first  I  shall  mention  was  the  Capuchin 
•church  which  contains  the  burial  vault  of  the  imperial 
family.  Here  among  bis  imperial  family  lies  Ihe 
remains  of  the  Duke  of  Reichstaat,  son  of  Napoleon 
Bonaparte  and  Marie  Louise.  The  Augustan  church 
contains  Canova's  handsome  monument  of  the  Arch- 
Duchess  of  Austria,  Maria  Christina,  consisting  of  nine 


682  TRAVELS    IN    EGYPT 

figures.  This  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful,  noted  and 
impressive  works  of  art. 

The  monument,  of  snow  white  marble,  represents  the 
front  of  the  residence,  including  doorway  and  steps 
leading  up  to  the  doorway.  The  figures  are  statues  of 
poor  beggars  in  rags  and  tatters,  including  young  and 
old,  male  and  female,  seeking  charity  and  blessings  at 
her  door.  '  A  grand  idea  nobly  and  faithfully  repre- 
sented and  handsomely  executed.  The  execution,  when 
judged  by  other  celebrated  artists,  is  said  to  be  a  most 
perfect  portrayal  of  the  conception  of  the  artist. 
Among  the  figures  is  a  child  leading  a  blind  man 
ascending  the  steps.  The  doorway  stands  open.  Some 
are  entering  the  doorwaj7,  others  near  the  entrance. 
These  mendicants  are  faithfully  represented 

It  is  said  to  be  the  masterpiece  of  this  celebrated 
artist. 

St.  Stephen's  church  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  noblest 
Gothic  structures  in  Europe.  Its  tower  is  four  hundred 
and  forty -nine  feet  high ;  its  interior  large  and  most 
beautifully  decorated. 

We  visited  the  art  galleries,  where  we  saw  hundreds 
of  fine  paintings  and  drawings  by  Raphael,  Rubens, 
Durer,  Vandyke,  and  other  celebrated  artists.  One 
of  these  art  galleries  contains  two  hundred  thousand 
drawings  and  paintings  by  the  most  celebrated  artists 
of  the  past  and  present  age. 

One  afternoon  during  our  stay  in  this  handsome  city 
we  took  a  drive  in  the  Prater  or  great  park,  which 
comprises  four  thousand  two  hundred  and  seventy 
acres,  and  extends  four  miles  between  the  Donau  canal, 
a  narrow  arm  of  the  Danube,  and  the  main  stream. 
This  park,  which  is  immediately  contiguous  to  the  city, 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  683 

is  handsomely  laid  out  in  drives  and  beautifully  orna- 
mented, and  was  the  site  of  the  buildings  of  the  great 
exposition  which  took  place  here  in  1873.  The  grounds 
and  buildings  were  well  cared  for  and  were  well  worth 
a  visit. 

I  don't  think  any  city  in  Europe  can  surpass,  for 
beauty  and  magnificence  of  architectural  skill,  the 
buildings  to  be  seen  by  a  drive  through  what  is  called 
the  Ringstrasse.  Here  we  see  the  Bourse,  containing 
the  oriental  museum,  filled  with  oriental  articles ; 
the  university,  with  its  library,  comprising  three  hun- 
dred and  thirty  thousand  volumes;  the  new  museum, 
Gothic  style,  tower  three  hundred  and  thirty-eight  feet 
high,  containing  a  fine  collection  of  arms  and  armor ; 
new  court  theatre;  houses  of  Parliament;  palace  of 
justice ;  twin  Imperial  museums  of  natural  history  and 
art ;  Imperial  opera  house  ;  palace  of  Arch-Duke  Wil- 
liam ;  etc.,  etc.,  all  grand  and  imposing  structures. 

These  Austrians  may  well  be  proud  of  this  grand  old 
city.  For,  taking  it  all  in  all,  it  is,  in  my  judgment,  by 
far  the  handsomest  city,  built  up  with  more  uniformity 
and  architectural  magnificence ;  has  wider,  better 
paved  and  cleaner  streets,  than  any  city  I  visited  in 
Europe. 

In  addition  to  this,  their  turnouts  are  of  a  superior 
order.  I  never  saw  as  many  fine  horses  in  any  coun- 
try as  I  saw  in  Austria.  Colonel  Grant  informed  me 
that  the  agricultural  interests  of  the  country  were  in  a 
good  condition,  and  the  farmers,  as  a  class,  prosperous. 


TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

MUNICH. 

OUR  ride  across  the  country  from  Vienna,  Austria,  to 
Munich,  the  capitol  of  Bavaria,  was  pleasant  and 
instructive,  as  we  passed  through  a  lovely  country  in  a 
hight  state  of  cultivation.  In  the  distance,  to  the  left, 
the  Noric  Alps,  with  their  lofty  summits,  covered  with 
snow,  formed  a  beautiful  background  to  far  extending 
plains.  The  landscape  was  one  of  unsurpassed  beauty 
and  fertility.  I  had  often  read  of  the  beauty  and  fer- 
tility of  the  plains  of  Hungary,  but  it  far  surpassed  my 
expectations.  These  plains  are  very  extensive,  level, 
and  unbroken  by  hills,  mountains  and  rivers.  Long 
lines  of  white  turnpike  roads,  looking  like  threads  of 
silver  stretching  here  and  there  across  a  landscape  of 
green,  bordered  with  trees  with  luxuriant  foliage,  added 
to  the  beauty  of  the  scene.  These  far  reaching  plains  are 
dotted  over  with  villages  and  towns,  made  up  of  the 
homes  of  the  farmers  who  cultivate  the  soil,  and  manu- 
facturers. 

Munich  has  a  population  of  two  hundred  and  thirty 
thousand,  and  although  it  falls  far  short  of  being  as 
handsome  a  city  as  Vienna  its  valuable  collections  of 
art  rank  it  among  the  art  centers  of  Europe.  "The 
commerce  and  manufacturers  of  Munich  are  scarcely 
commensurate  with  its  artistic  importance."  It  is 
regarded,  however,  as  one  of  the  largest  and  handsomest 
of  the  German  cities. 

While  in  this  city  we  were  shown  through  the  vari- 
ous departments  of  the  imperial  palace.  In  one  of  the 

684 


AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  685 

bed-rooms  we  were  shown  a  bed  which  was  covered 
over  with  a  spread  made  of  gold  thread  woven  and 
interlaced  to  the  thickness  of  one  and  a  half  inches.  It 
requires  six  stout  men  to  remove  it  from  the  bed.  The 
curtains  which  were  suspended  from  the  canopy  above 
were  also  made  of  gold  in  the  same  manner,  and  weigh 
four  hundred  pounds  each. 

The  coverlid  and  curtains  required  the  labor  of  forty 
men  ten  years  to  complete  them.  The  bed  and  tapes- 
try we  were  told  cost  four  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
It  has  never  been  used  since  it  was  occupied  by  Napoleon, 

In  another  bed-room  we  were  shown  a  clock  and  two 
candle-sticks  which  cost  twenty-five  thousand  dollars. 

In  one  of  the  rooms  was  a  beautiful  hand-carved 
ivory  chandelier  in  which  seventy-seven  human  figures 
were  combined.  This  handsome  piece  of  handicraft 
cost  the  snug  little  sum  of  thirty-five  thousand  dollars. 
I  felt  like  a  little  dog  in  high  oats  while  wandering 
through  these  magnificent  and  costly  apartments.  The 
grandeur  and  lavish  show  of  wealth  was  so  far  in 
advance  of  anything  I  had  ever  seen  before  that  it 
made  me  feel  uncomfortable.  I  felt  oppressed,  I 
couldn't  breath  easily.  Take  a  man  who  had  been 
raised  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Texas  and  had 
learned  to  eat  cold  water  corn-bread  and  drink  butter- 
milk from  a  tin  cup,  wear  home-made  clothes  dyed 
with  red  oak  bark  and  set  with  copperas,  and  surround 
him  with  such  grandeur  and  magnificence  of  untold 
wealth  and  splendor.  It  was  more  than  "  human  nature '' 
could  bear.  I  was  glad  I  was  not  an  emperor. 

We  next  visited  the  Bavarian  National  museum,  one 
of  the  largest  in  the  world,  illustrating  the  progress  of 
civilization  and  the  arts.  The  Pinacothek,  a  perfect 


686  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

treasure  house  of  ancient  and  modern  art.  The  royal 
library,  containing  more  that  a  million  of  volumes,  is 
an  elegant  building.  It  was  pleasant  to  look  through 
these  immense  galleries  of  art,  and  when  taken  in  con- 
nection with  drives  through  the  handsome  parks, 
pleasure  gardens  and  public  squares  adorned  as  many 
of  them  were  with  historic  and  other  elegant  monu- 
ments, and  in  addition  to  all  this  a  realization  that  we 
were  once  more  in  civilized  countries,  made  this  part 
of  our  long  tour  exceedingly  pleasant. 

In  our  run  to-day  from  Munich  to  Heidelberg,  two 
hundred  and  fifty  miles,  one  conspicuous  feature 
noticed  was  the  great  number  of  crosses  with  effigies 
of  Christ  nailed  to  them,  which  were  reared  up  along- 
side the  railroad  track.  I  had  seen  this  sight  before  in 
my  travels  in  these  foreign  countries,  but  having  been 
born  and  raised  in  Protestant  America  I  had  never  seen 
such  a  sight  before  I  crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  I  hope  I 
may  never  see  it  again. 

It  may  be  regarded  as  a  pious  act  by  those  who  put 
them  there.  They  may  have  thought  they  were  doing 
God's  service  and  performing  an  act  of  adoration  and 
praise  to  the  Son.  I  looked  at  them  and  thought, 
when  that  tragic  event  occurred  on  Calvary,  the  veil 
of  the  temple  was  rent  in  twain  from  top  to  bottom  by 
invisible  hands.  The  earth  quaked  and  trembled,  the 
rocks  were  rent,  his  resurrection  power  penetrated  deep 
down  into  the  graves  and  they  gave  up  their  dead. 
"  And  there  was  a  darkness  over  all  the  earth  from  the 
sixth  to  the  ninth  hour. "  All  may  repeat  this  scene 
in  which  shook  a  universe  and  caused  our  old 
earth  to  tremble,  by  rearing  crosses  and  effigies  of  a 
crucified  Redeemer  along  the  byways  and  railroads, 


AND    THE    HOLY    LAND.  687 

who  may  wish  to  do  so.  I  don't  feel  that  way  about  it. 
I  find  no  such  feeling  or  desire  in  my  heart. 

We  find  but  two  things  worthy  of  our  attention  at 
Heidelberg — the  famous  castle,  which  overhangs  the 
west  part  of  the  town,  and  the  university,  which  is  the 
oldest  in  the  German  Empire.  This  university  was 
founded  in  1356.  At  the  Reformation  it  became  a 
stronghold  of  Protestant  learning.  It  now  has  a  pat- 
ronage of  from  five  to  eight  hundred  pupils.  A  large 
proportion  of  these  are  English  and  Americans. 

In  1703  a  new  library  was  founded,  which  now  con- 
tains three  hundred  thousand  volumes.  I  was  very 
much  disappointed  when  I  saw  this  city.  It  is  com- 
paratively a  small  place,  and  its  buildings  offer  no 
attractions  to  a  stranger. 

"  The  old  castle  before  mentioned,  though  now  a  ruin, 
yet  its  extent,  its  magnificence,  its  beautiful  situation, 
its  interesting  history,  render  it  by  far  the  most  note- 
worthy, as  it  is  certainly  the  grandest  and  largest  of 
the  old  castles  of  Germany.  " 

In  this  castle  are  two  large  wine  casks,  made  in  the 
form  of  and  like  a  large  barrel.  The  larger  one  holds 
forty-nine  thousand  gallons,  the  lesser  one  about  thirty 
thousand  gallons.  There  is  also  a  fire-place,  or  stone 
furnace,  in  the  culinary  department  of  the  castle, 
made  large  enough  to  roast  the  entire  carcase  of  a 
beef. 

In  the  rear  of  the  castle  is  a  pretty  garden,  well  laid 
out,  the  garden  and  castle  comprising  eight  acres  of 
ground.  This  old  castle  is  half  castle  and  half  fortress, 
it  being  three  hundred  and  thirty  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  Neckar.  From  its  tower  one  gets  a  most  exten- 
sive prospect  of  the  valley  of  the  Neckar  and  the  Rhine, 


688  TRAVELS    IN   EGYPT 

also  a  good  view  of  the  Black  Forest.  The  mountains 
in  the  rear  of  the  old  castle  can  be  ascended  by  a 
tramway  railroad,  two  hundred  feet  higher,  from 
which  point  you  get  a  more  extensive  prospect  than 
from  the  tower. 

The  little  city  is  located  in  a  narrow  valley,  which 
lies  between  the  south  bank  of  the  Neckar  river  and 
the  foot  of  the  mountains,  consequently  it  is  much 
longer  than  it  is  wide. 

Somewhere  on  the  roadside  between  Vienna  and 
this  place  we  saw  a  woman  and  a  dog  hitched  to  a 
small  wagon.  The  train  flew  by  them  at  such  a  rate 
of  speed  that  we  were  unable  to  see  what  was  being 
hauled  by  this  unique  team.  The  greater  portion  of 
the  laborers  in  this  part  of  the  Old  World  seem  to  be 
the  very  old  men  and  women  and  young  children. 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND. 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

MATENCE. 

rip  HIS  pretty  little  city  is  located  at  the  junction  of 
J-  the  Main  and  the  Rhine  and  is  a  much  hand- 
somer city  than  Heidelberg. 

The  railway  from  Heidelberg  to  this  place,  a  distance 
of  fifty  miles,  passed  through  a  lovely  country.  Doubt- 
less the  country  makes  a  much  better  appearance, 
every  square  yard  of  the  soil  being  brought  into  a  high 
state  of  cultivation, 

The  number  of  inhabitants  in  these  old  countries 
being  so  great,  it  necessitates  the  fertilizing  and  culti- 
vation of  every  acre  of  land  in  that  way  and  manner 
that  will  secure  the  largest  yield.  Every  sprig  of 
grass  and  every  weed  is  carefully  plucked  up,  and  noth- 
ing is  allowed  to  grow  in  the  fields  except  what  is 
planted. 

The  farms  here,  as  in  the  oriental  countries,  are  not 
fenced  in,  and  the  farmers  live  in  villages,  as  they  do 
there.  This  is  a  great  manufacturing  country  as  well. 
Since  leaving  Vienna  it  has  been  no  uncommon  sight 
to  see  three,  four  and  sometimes  five  towns  at  a  sight 
containing  from  ten  to  thirty  and  even  forty  thousand 
inhabitants,  all  engaged  in  manufacturing.  I  have  no 
doubt  but  that  very  many  visitors  from  Europe  to  Pal- 
estine and  Syria  depreciate  the  fertility  of  the  lands 
in  those  countries  by  contrasting  their  general  appear- 
ance and  the  scanty  products  of  the  soil,  which  couldn't 
possibly  be  otherwise  than  scant  under  existing  circum- 
stances, with  their  own  beautiful,  highly  fertilized, 

689 


690  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

well  cultivated  countries. '  The  one  inhabited  by  an 
enlightened,  cultivated,  industrious  and  thrifty  people, 
who  use  all  modern  labor-saving  machinery  and 
improved  agricultural  implements,  etc..  and  the  other 
inhabited  by  an  improvident,  ignorant,  superstitious, 
indolent  people,  who  scratch  the  soil  and  pretend  to 
cultivate  it  with  just  the  same  farming  implements  used 
by  their  forefathers  five  thousand  years  ago,  if  not  the 
same  used  by  Adam  when  the  Lord  told  him  to  get  out 
of  the  garden  of  Eden  and  to  make  his  bread  by  the 
sweat  of  his  face.  The  comparison  certainly  is  unjust 
and  unfair.  I  think  I  have  been  a  farmer  long  enough 
and  have  seen  as  many  varieties  of  soil  as  the  average 
run  of  men,  and  believe  myself  competent  to  judge  of 
the  productions  and  agricultural  value  of  a  country, 
and  here  repeat  that  I  regard  Palestine,  except  imme- 
diately around  Jerusalem,  as  a  country  of  rare  value  for 
the  growth  of  such  articles  as  are  adapted  to  its  cli- 
mate. Its  valleys  are  extensive  and  very  fertile,  and 
produce  fine  grain,  notwithstanding  it  has  never  been 
plowed  to  a  depth  exceeding  two  inches.  The  moun- 
tain sides  are  equal  to  the  slopes  of  the  Apennines 
in  Italy  for  the  growth  of  the  olive,  the  fig,  the 
walnut,  the  almond  and  the  apricot,  etc.,  etc. 

Where  this  city  of  Mayence  now-  stands  was  a 
Roman  camp  as  early  as  thirty  years  before  the  Chris- 
tian era,  but  the  foundations  of  the  city  may  be  said 
to  have  been  laid  about  14  B.  C.,  when  Drusus  built  an 
extensive  fortification  here  He  also  erected  a  castle 
which  bore  his  name.  In  this  castle  is  a  pretty  Roman 
monument,  forty-five  feet  high,  erected  in  honor  of 
him  by  the  soldiers. 

There  is  here  a  cathedral  which  has  been  burned  and 


AND   THE    HOLY    LAND.  69 i 

restored  six  times ;  it  is  now  regarded  as  one  of  the 
grandest  in  Germany  and  very  rich  in  monuments.  In 
the  chapter  house  and  cloisters  may  be  seen  the  tablet 
in  memory  of  Fastrada,  the  wife  of  Charlemagne,  who 
was  buried  here. 

Near  the  cathedral  is  a  statue  of  Gutenberg,  who 
was  born  here,  and  to  whom  the  world  is  indebted  for 
the  art  of  printing  with  movable  type.  In  fact,  he 
laid  the  foundation  of  an  art  which  has  dominated  the 
world,  and  on  the  second  of  February,  1568,  died  here 
at  Mayence,  poor,  childless  and  almost  friendless. 

In  the  northeast  portion  of  the  city  we  see  the  elec- 
toral palace  which  contains,  it  is  said,  one  of  the  best 
collections  of  Roman  and  German  antiquities  to  be 
found  in  Germany.  Here  may  be  seen  also  a  handsome 
picture  gallery.  Many  of  the  choice  pictures  and  per- 
haps the  best  paintings  were  the  gift  of  Napoleon  ;also 
a  library  containing  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
volumes. 

Reader,  we  are  now  on  board  of  a  nice  little 
steamer,  and  we  are  about  starting  down  the  Rhine  to 
Cologne.  The  panoramic  view  of  this  river  has  a 
world-wide  fame.  It  ranks  in  the  list  of  most  beauti- 
ful scenery  anywhere  to  be  found,  i.  e.,  it  is  one  of 
several  of  the  most  beautiful  pictures  which  the  lavish 
hand  of  nature  has  painted  on  this  little  world  of  ours. 
But  you  will  find  that,  notwithstanding  the  picture 
presented  has  been  embellished  and  added  to  by  the 
ingenuity  and  art  of  man,  it  may  still  be  described  by 
the  free  use  of  the  girls'  adjectives,  such  as:  charm- 
ing, lovely,  delightful,  sublime,  grand,  picturesque, 
etc., — and  sinks  to  the  rank  of  commonplace  when 
contrasted  with  the  picture  of  pictures,  painted  and 


692  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT 

finished  by  the  hand  of  God  alone,  as  seen  on   the 
Danube. 

Two  hours  after  leaving  Mayence  we  come  to  a  very 
pretty  village  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river.  This  is 
not  the  first  village  we  reach,  however ;  on  the  con- 
trary, we  have  passed  many.  In  fact,  the  river  banks 
are  lined  with  pretty  towns  and  villages.  But  the  one 
to  which  I  call  your  attention  has  been  made  illus- 
trious by  being  represented  as  the  home  of  the  "  dying 
soldier."  in  that  touching  poem,  "Bingen  on  the 
Rhine."  This  is  the  little  town  of  Bingen. 
"  A  soldier  of  the  Legion  lay  dying  in  Algiers, 
There  was  lack  of  woman's  nursing,  there  was  dearth  of 

woman's  tears. 
But  a  comrade  stood  beside  him,  while  the  life-blood  ebbed 

away, 

And  bent  with  pitying  glances  to  hear  what  he  might  say. 
The  dying  soldier  faltered,  as  he  took  that  comrade's  hand, 
And    he   said   "  I  never  more  shall  see   my  own,   my  native 

land. 

Take  a  message  and  a  token  to  some  distant  friends  of  mine, 
For  I  was  born  at  Bingen,  at  Bingen  on  the  Rhine." 
On  the  wooded  height  of  the  Nederwald,  opposite 
Bingen,    stands   the  great  national   monument  com- 
memorating the  restoration  of  the  German  Empire,  in 
1870-71. 

It  stands  seven  hundred  and  forty  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  river,  and  consists  a  of  colossal  statue  of 
Germania  thirty-three  feet  high,  placed  upon  a  pedestal 
seventy-eight  feet  high,  "  adorned  with  historical  and 
allegorical  reliefs." 

The  hills,  through  which  the  Rhine  winds  like  a 
silver  band,  are  from  eight  to  fifteen  hundred  feet  in 
height,  and  great  numbers  of  them  crowned  with  the 
ruins  of  old  castles  of  former  days. 


AND   T»E   HOLY    LAND.  693 

Not  far  below  the  national  monument  and  on  the 
same  side  of  the  river,  we  see  the  castle  of  Johannisberg, 
on  a  hill  three  hundred  and  forty  feet  high.  This  castle 
is  surrounded  by  the  vineyards  v/hich  have  made  it 
famous.  The  wine  made  here  is  of  a  very  superior 
quality,  and  is  sold  at  a  very  high  price.  I  was  told 
that  the  hill-side  netted  the  owner  an  annual  income  of 
twenty  thousand  dollars  from  the  sale  of  wine  alone. 
A  short  distance  below  this  we  pass  a  place  on  the  left 
famous  for  its  .red  wines,  and  here  we  enter  a  narrower 
part  of  the  river  with  higher  hills  on  each  side.  This 
is  called  the  "  Gorge  of  the  Khine."  "We  pass  on  the 
left  the  ruins  of  Ehrenfels,  just  above  which  is  the 
"  Mouse  Tower."  A  few  miles  further  down  the  river 
we  pass  on  the  right  Bacharach,  the  Ava  Bachi  of  the 
Romans.  This  place  is  also  famous  for  its  wines. 
Longfellow  translates  a  rhyme  in  the  "  Golden  Legend," 
thus: 

"At  Bacharach  on  the  Rhine, 
At  Hochheim  on  the  Main, 
And  at  Wurzburg  on  the  Stein, 
Grow  the  three  best  kinds  of  wine." 

Gliding  down  this  beautiful  river  we  soon  reach 
Pfalz,  erected  in  the  midst  of  the  river  by  Louis  of 
Bavaria  in  the  fourteenth  century  for  the  purpose  of 
exacting  tribute  from  passing  vessels. 

It  is  an  old,  unique  structure,  which  has  the  appear- 
ance of  rising  up  out  of  the  midst  of  a  river.  Lower 
down  we  pass  Oberwesel,  the  Roman  Besalia,  on  the 
right,  situated  in  the  midst  of  the  finest  scenery  on  the 
Rhine.  South  of  the  town  stands  the  church  of  Notre 
Dame ;  below  this  we  come  to  two  mountains  on  the 
right  which  tower  far  above  their  neighbors  and  near 
each  other.  They  are  called  the  "  brothers.  "  Along 


694 

this  part  of  the  river  the  ruins  of  fine  old  castles  crown 
the  summit  of  almost  every  hill.  Here  is  an  old  town 
with  the  Marksburg  Palace  perched  upon  a  hill  five 
hundred  feet  above  it.  I  do  not  wish,  however,  to 
weary  the  reader  by  calling  attention  to  mountains  and 
castles,  which,  to  appreciate,  one  must  see  for  himself. 

Our  ride  down  the  Rhine  was  one  of  the  most  enjoy- 
able days  we  have  had  during  our  journey.  We  find 
Cologne  one  of  the  handsomest  cities  we  have  seen  in 
Germany.  Aside  from  the  city  itself,  we  find  among 
other  beautiful  buildings  two  churches  to  which  I  must 
call  the  attention  of  the  reader,  after  giving  you  a 
short  history  of  the  renowned  city  itself. 

"  Cologne  was  originally  the  chief  town  of  the  ancient 
Ubii.  It  afterwards  became  known  as  Agrippensis 
when  Agrippina,  who  was  born  here  while  her  father, 
Germanicus,  held  command  in  the  district,  induced  her 
husband,  Claudius,  to  send  a  colony  of  veteran  soldiers 
to  the  place.  After  this  it  became  the  chief  town  of 
Germania  Secunda,  or  inferior.  " 

The  immense  Gothic  cathedral  is  the  chief  glory  of 
the  modern  city,  and,  all  things  considered,  it  is  the 
grandest  Gothic  structure  in  the  world.  Since  1816 
there  has  been  expended  four  million  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars  on  this  building.  Its  spires  are  five 
hundred  and  twelve  feet  high.  Externally  it  measures 
four  hundred  and  forty-four  feet  in  length  and  two 
hundred  and  one  in  width,  or  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
two  through  the  transepts. 

I  must  say,  after  walking  around  this  celebrated 
cathedral,  I  was  very  much  disappointed  in  not  finding  a 
corresponding  finish  and  decoration  on  the  interior. 
In  other  words,  the  interior  finish  and  ornamentation 


,       AND   THE   HOLY    LAND.  695 

of  the  church  is  not  in  harmony  with  its  exterior  mag- 
nificence. 

This  cathedral,  like  St.  Peter's  church  at  Rome,  is 
regarded  as  one  of  the  grandest  church  edifices  in  the 
world.  In  1795  it  was  used  by  the  French  as  a  hay 
magazine,  at  which  time  they  stole  the  lead  from  the 
roof.  The  cathedral  was  then  much  smaller  than  it  is 
now,  and  was  in  an  unfinished  condition. 

We  visited  the  church  of  St.  Ursula,  which  is  reputed 
to  hold  the  bones  of  eleven  thousand  virgins  martyred 
b}r  the  Huns.  "  These  remains  are  worked  into  the 
walls  in  a  species  of  sepulchral  mosaic,"  and  the  bones, 
especially  the  skulls,  brought  to  view  in  every  available 
part  of  the  church.  The  skull  of  St.  Ursula  and  a  few 
of  her  favorite  companions  are  stored  away  in  the  golden 
chamber  in  the  interior  of  the  heads  of  certain  gold  and 
silver  images. 

This  church  is  but  another  example  of  the  inordinate 
veneration  of  certain  religionists  for  saints'  bones, 
pictures,  images,  etc.  How  many  of  these  bones  or 
skeletons  were  the  remains  of  the  legendary  company 
of  virgins  who  willingly  suffered  martyrdom  at  the 
hands  of  the  savage  Huns  rather  than  surrender  their 
virtue  and  honor  to  a  barbarian  soldiery  will  never  be 
known.  "  It  is  claimed  that  these  virgins  had  been  driven 
out  of  the  British  Isles  when  those  isles  were  invaded 
by  the  Anglo-Saxons  Many  of  the  British  Christians 
fled  to  the  continent,  some  to  Bavaria,  some  to  Gaul, 
expecting  to  find  a  safe  asvlum  among  the  Christians 
in  those  countries.  Of  those  who  went  to  Bavaria 
many  proceeded  further  along  the  Rhine  in  order  to 
find  a  refuge  in  the  districts  of  the  lower  Rhine,  which 
at  that  time  enjoyed  tranquillity  under  the  Roman 


696  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT          , 

government."  In  this  way  it  is  claimed  these  British 
virgins,  under  the  leadership  of  Ursula,  a  royal  virgin, 
found  their  way  to  this  place. 

"  But  they  did  not  remain  long  in  peace  and  quiet 
here.  On  the  contrary,  they  were  destined  to  meet  a 
more  terrible  fate  from  that  which  they  fled."  In 
the  summer  of  457  this  section  of  the  Roman  possessions 
was  invaded  by  the  Huns  under  their  chief,  Attila,  who 
murdered  the  inhabitants  and  laid  waste  the  country. 
They  were  met,  however,  and  defeated  near  Orleans  by 
the  Roman  army  under  Actius.  On  their  retreat  they 
destroyed  the  cities  and  murdered  all  the  inhabitants 
who  failed  to  flee  at  their  approach.  On  their  retreat 
they  destroyed  Cologne  and  massacred  the  inhabitants, 
and  among  others  the  virgins  above  named,  in  com- 
memoration of  whom  this  church  of  Ursula  was  erected 
on  the  spot  where  the  massacre  is  said  to  have  occurred. 

Before  leaving  Cologne  I  must  inform  the  reader  of 
a  few  things  of  minor  importance,  it  is  true,  but  yet 
they  show  how  the  customs  of  countries  differ  even  in 
minor  things.  And  is  it  not  true  that  life  is  made 
up  of  an  aggregation  of  small  things  ?  A  felon  upon 
the  finger  is  but  a  small  matter  in  reality,  and  yet  it 
brings  with  it  pain  and  misery  indescribable.  A  kind 
word  or  a  kiss  of  appreciation  on  the  cheek  of  a  wife  or 
mother  worn  down  by  the  cares  and  toils  of  the  day  is 
but  a  small  thing,  and  yet  it  carries  with  it  new  hopes, 
new  aspirations,  renewed  energy,  and  causes  the  whis- 
pered '•  God  bless  you  "  to  escape  from  her  lips. 

The  little  cares  and  crosses,  the  little  sorrows  and 
disappointments,  the  little  pleasures  and  joys,  the  smile 
of  approbation,  and  the  little  words  of  encouragement 


AND   THE    HOLT    LAND.  697 

and  love  all  make  miserable  or  happy  the  minutes  and 
the  hours  out  of  which  our  lives  are  made. 

It  is  not  in  the  cities  that  one  comes  face  to  face  with 
a  country.  As  a  rule,  the  wealthy  congregate  in  cities 
and  there  we  meet  with  and  see  the  manners,  customs 
and  habits  of  this  class  of  the  country's  inhabitants. 
But  in  the  hardships,  trials  and  struggles  against 
poverty  and  want,  the  ups  and  downs  and  realities 
of  life  must  be  sought  for  in  the  rural  districts  of  every 
country. 

The  law  in  Germany  compelling  every  son  between 
certain  ages  to  serve  for  three  years  in  the  army,  taken 
in  connection  with  their  law  of  compulsory  education, 
i.e.,  requiring  all  children  between  certain  ages  to  be 
sent  to  school  for  so  many  months  each  year,  works  a 
hardship  upon  their  women  and  aged  men. 

I  saw  more  women  doing  the  work  of  men  such  as 
working  on  railroads,  sawing  wood,  carrying  the  hod 
and  working  in  the  fields  in  Germany,  than  in  any 
country  in  Europe  through  which  we  traveled. 

In  the  fields  through  which  the  railroad  ran  the  old 
men  and  women  and  little  children  seemed  to  be  the 
only  tillers  of  the  soil. 

The  reader  may  conclude  that  I  have  a  mania  for 
writing  of  dogs,  but  you  must  bear  in  mind  that  in 
different  forms  they  constitute  a  large  proportion  of 
the  population  in  all  countries. 

Here  in  Cologne  and  in  the  surrounding  country 
the  four-footed  dogs  are  hitched  to  the  under  part  of 
little  carts ;  they  have  on  a  regular  set  of  harness,  hav- 
ing a  breast  strap  in  lieu  of  a  collar,  and  are 'then 
hitched  to  the  axle  of  the  cart.  When  not  in  motion 
the  shafts  are  propped  up  by  a  light  wooden  rod 


698  TRAVELS   IN   EGYPT 

attached  underneath  the  shaft  for  the  purpose.  Here 
the  streets  are  full  of  these  little  dog  carts,  and  it  is 
surprising  to  see  the  amount  of  work  being  done  in 
this  way.  Here  goes  a  lady  driving  a  span  of  dogs  to 
a  little  fancy  wagon.  They  trot  along  very  nicely, 
indeed.  I  suppose  it  might  be,  with  propriety,  called  a 
"  nobby  turnout." 

Another  thing  which  attracts  the  attention  of  the 
American  traveler  in  Europe  is  the  great  number  of 
soldiers  he  meets  with.  Saw,  yesterday,  two  donkeys 
on  the  street ;  spoke  to  one  of  them  and  shook  his  ear, 
for  they  looked  like  old  friends  and  I  was  really  glad  to 
see  them. 

Here  the  veritable  "  Eau  de  Cologne "  is  manufac- 
tured in  large  quantities,  and  there  are  some  forty  or 
more  houses  in  the  city  in  which  it  is  the  only  article 
sold.  But,  as  Martha  Penny  in  Hood's  "Up  the 
Ehine  "  says :  "  The  wust  is,  wen  you  want  a  boitel  of 
the  rite  sort,  there's  so  many  farinacious  imposters  and 
Johns  and  Mariahs,  you  don't  know  wich  is  him  or  her." 

It  is  the  custom  to  bob  or  cut  short  the  tails  of  all 
harness  horses  in  this  stylish  city.  It  must  be  bad  on 
the  horses  in  fly  time. 

En  route  from  Cologne  to  Brussels,  passing  through 
a  country  of  more  than  medium  fertility,  we  see  women 
and  children  on  their  knees  going  over  the  grain-fields 
plucking  up  the  tares,  weeds  and  grass. 

A  few  hours'  run  brought  us  to  the  city  of  Brussels, 
the  capital  of  Belgium,  situated  on  the  small  river 
Senne,  about  fifty  miles  north  of  the  Adriatic  sea.  It 
is  located  in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful  and  fertile  country. 
It  is  picturesquely  built  on  the  top  and  sides  of  a  hill 
which  slopes  down  the  river.  This  part  of  the  city  is 


AND   THE    HOLT    LAND.  699 

regarded  as  the  modern  part  or  the  New  Town,  and 
here  we  find  nearly  all  the  public  offices,  the  royal 
palace,  the  chamber  of  deputies,  principal  hotels,  etc. 

Brussels  is  noted  for  its  manufactories,  especially  of 
carpets,  laces  and  tapestries.  These  manufactories  give 
employment  to  thousands  of  women,  who  are  thus 
enabled  to  make  {p  honest  living  for  themselves  and 
those  dependent  upon  them  ;  consequently  in  Brussels 
and  other  manufacturing  cities  we  saw  fewer  beggars 
and  less  destitution  among  the  poorer  classes. 

"  The  Senne  is  not  navigable,  but  Brussels  is  in  com- 
munication with  the  great  Belgian  cities  by  means  of 
canals.  It  also  enjoys  the  advantage  of  railway  com- 
munication with  France  and  Germany  and  the  chief 
towns  of  the  Belgian  Dominion." 

The  streets  are  well-paved,  well-lighted,  and  the  city 
abundantly  supplied  with  water. 

I  was  well  pleased  with  my  visit  to  this  interesting 
city,  and  especially  to  see  here,  as  I  had  done  in  other 
places,  the  outgrowth  of  manufacturing  interests. 
Manufactories  make  cities,  make  towns,  and  make  a 
people  progressive  and  independent.  They  remove 
idleness,  indolence  and  paupery,  and  open  up  avenues 
of  industry  and  enterprise,  without  which  no  city  or 
country  can  long  prosper. 

I  visited  some  of  these  manufactories  and  was 
impressed  with  the  order  and  system  which  character- 
ized the  entire  management  of  them  in  the  various 
departments.  Near  this  city  is  the  famous  battle-field 
of  "Waterloo.  This  memorable  battle  was  fought  on 
Sunday,  June  18,  1815.  Napoleon  had  escaped  from 
Elba,  and  with  a  force  of  near  a  hundred  and  thirty 
thousand  French  troops  met  Wellington  at  the  head 


700  TRAVELS   IN    EGYPT. 

of  thirty  thousand*  English  and  forty  thousand  mixed 
troops.  Wellington  withstood  the  onslaught  of  the 
French  army,  and  ultimately,  in  union  with  Blucher, 
swept  them  from  the  field.  This  defeat  formed  the 
sunset  of  Napoleon's  life.  He  was  banished,  by  the 
English  government,  to  the  island  of  St.  Helena, 
where  he  died  May  5,  1821. 

The  sights  to  be  seen  in  Paris,  France ;  in  London, 
England ;  in  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow,  Scotland,  are  so 
numerous  and  of  such  historic  interest,  and  have  been 
so  fullv  and  faithfully  described  by  so  many  abler 
pens  than  I  can  wield,  that  I  now  take  farewell  of  the 
reader,  who,  I  trust,  has  been  to  some  extent  inter- 
ested and  profited  by  perusing  the  foregoing  pages. 
Farewell.  May  heaven's  blessings  ever  be  yours,  and 
may  you  ever  remember  kindly  the  Texas  doctor  and 
the  Arab  donkey. 


FINIS. 


